William Craig Millis

Craig was born in Houston,Texas, to Hugh and Mary Millis in 1925. In 1929, the family moved to Dallas residing at 5310 Morningside Drive. He had many entertaining stories from living there of his mother, father, and two brothers, Hugh and Edwin. His mother passed on her love of fishing, mountain climbing, and never fearing to try new adventures. Craig attended North Dallas High School and then joined the Army Air Corps, where he was stationed in Arizona at a gunnery range which trained soldiers. He attended SMU on the GI bill obtaining a degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1949. He served as Vice-President of the Student Council and was a member of Blue Key, Cycen Fjodr and elected a Class Favorite. Craig was a lifelong member of the ATO fraternity, recently receiving his 75 year certificate.

He loved the “nuts and bolts” of the mechanical field. He and his daughter built a tube color TV from a kit when Cathy was 8. Although it did eventually work well and was used for many years, nevertheless, the family could be found outside safely in the back yard when Craig powered it up for the first time. His career as a Rep for manufacturers of steam turbines kept him employed for 66 years (with his latter years part-time), retiring fully at age 90. He loved gadgets of all kinds.

Craig was a Deacon and then later an Elder at Highland Park Presbyterian Church and was honored with the distinction of Elder Emeritus. He served on many boards throughout his life, most recently chairing the Building and Grounds and Chautauqua Committees at Presbyterian Village North Retirement Community, where he and Ruth have lived for the past 12 years.

Craig had a deep faith in Christ and was always ready to help someone who needed it. He was also always there for his family and was faithful in taking care of Ruth as her health started declining, until he was unable to do so when his own health declined, too.

His love of fishing became a weekly passion with his “adopted” grandson, Michael Scates. They spent weekends enjoying his mom’s farm near Decatur, Texas, as well as entering a once-a-year fishing tournament with him.

He was also an enthusiastic HAM radio operator and, many times, when family members would arrive home, they would find him in his radio room with different groups of people whom he was providing communications for, so that they could talk to someone they loved who was a missionary living in a remote region of the world.

Craig and Ruth have a cabin in Estes Park, Colorado, where he loved the numerous hikes available in close-by Rocky Mountain National Park. He climbed the tallest mountain in the Park, Long’s Peak, four times, which beat his children’s record.

Craig was a dedicated and loyal father and a friend to many.

He is survived by his wife, Ruth, his son, Jim (Katie) of Dallas, his daughter Cathy Millis Juvonen (Cary) of Basalt, Colorado, and his sole surviving brother, Edwin (Shirley) of Dallas.