Duncan Archibald McMillan

Duncan grew up in Raleigh and graduated from Broughton High School, earning the apt superlative, “Versatility”. He went on to study Latin at Wake Forest University, honing his gift of gab. On account of very low attendance, Duncan was not the valedictorian of the Carolina Law School class of 1977, but he did deliver a rousing address for the commencement, which would turn out to be his predominant style of address for the remainder of his life.

Duncan’s capacity to love and care for all people, and his aversion to self-glorification, fundamentally informed his long legal career, through which he tirelessly fought to uphold the rights of the innocent and guilty alike. His philosophical dedication was inherent to who he was and how he was raised, and this aura of radical acceptance showered him with gifts of deep, long-lasting friendships spanning all walks of life. He was enriched and inspired by the fine people he worked alongside who shared a vision of a kinder world.

His greatest joys were searching for arrowheads in freshly plowed fields of eastern Wake County after a rain, manning his post as camp cook for the Mullet Masters every year on Portsmouth Island, silently casting lines from a stealth canoe creeping through the Lumbee Swamp, reading a mystery thriller with an old western playing in the background and masterfully weaving stories in communion with his friends and family. He could be counted on to teach kids how to shell peas and shuck corn, bait a hook, take a joke, collect firewood and drive a truck through a field at too young an age. He could be called upon for many reasons and was mostly compelled to help however and whenever he could. Dunc rarely ate the thousands of feasts he lovingly made for others, but relished country cooking of someone else’s making. He loved to host parties out on Barton’s Creek at the log cabin that he built with his bare hands, an axe, a chainsaw and some pulleys.

In addition to his parents, Duncan is preceded in death by his wife, Cornelia Howell McMillan; his older brother and hero, Roy McMillan; and his sister-in-law, Jo Anna Lilley McMillan.

Surviving are his children, Campbell McMillan and Evan McMillan; his siblings, Doug McMillan, Rebecca (David) Sparrow, May (Mark) Bensen and Lewis (Beth) McMillan; his uncle, Doug Maynard; and a few generations of nieces, nephews and cousins, whom he loved dearly.

A memorial service and celebration of Duncan's life will be held on Saturday, September 7, 2024, at 11:00 am at Pullen Memorial Baptist Church, 1801 Hillsborough St., Raleigh, NC 27605. A reception will follow the service at Pullen in Finlator Hall. Duncan's service will be livestreamed at the following link, https://vimeo.com/event/4553483/8d6cc83c35

A private family graveside service will be held at a future date at Spring Hill Cemetery in Wagram, NC.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to The Lumber River Conservancy, The Catharine Campbell and Daniel White Scholarship (administered by the North Carolina Community Foundation) or the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.

Service arrangements provided by Brown-Wynne, 300 Saint Mary's St., Raleigh, NC.