Donald B. Milam

Donald B. Milam

Donald B. Milam passed away Friday, May 3 following an extended illness. His memorial service will be at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Kalispell, on June 14, 2013, at 3 p.m. A private burial will precede the service.

Donald was born April 21, 1927, in Stockham, Neb., to Glover and Albertina Milam. He grew up in Nebraska and attended school there. After high school he served in the military and was a proud Marine. He returned to Bozeman and attended Montana State University.

He met his wife Joan while living at her mother's boarding house. They were married in 1951 and enjoyed 61 years together. His more than 40-year career as a florist began as a partner with his father in Milam Floral in Bozeman; then they moved to Kalispell where they operated Milam Floral for eight years. During this time, three children were born, David, Barbara and Nancy. In 1959, they moved to Havre and started their own business, Milam Floral, which they operated for 32 years. Two more children, Julie and Jeff, joined the family. During his Havre days Donald was an active member of the Lions, Shriners, Masons and Messiah Lutheran Church.

In 1992, Don and Joan retired and moved to Kalispell. They were the first of five Havre family friends to build homes at Glacier Village Greens. They spent the next 20 years retired and enjoying their beautiful new home, golf and the social comradery of the Village Greens community.

Once he was re-established in Kalispell, Donald was active in the community. He planted flowers at the pro shop, and he helped organize and build the Village Greens Community Center. He served on the Home Owners' Architect Committee for 18 years. He and Joan delivered Meals on Wheels for 16 years. He served on SCORE, helping new business entrepreneurs. He was a lifetime member of the Montana Florist Association.

Donald was a person of many interests and talents. He loved golf and his golf friends, he was masterful at tying flies, he was a winemaker, he loved to fish, he was a wood craftsman, his begonias and geraniums were the pride of Village Greens, he cut evergreen bows and collected pinecones for his Christmas centerpieces, which adorned many households in Village Greens. He loved sports — played basketball and baseball when he was young and followed them on TV during his lifetime. He did Sudoku and jigsaw puzzles which he shared with his friends daily as they came to see him.

Donald was an honorable man. He set an example through the life he led; deeply held values, unswervingly loyal, forever kind, warm and accepting, other-oriented, loving, cleverly humorous, compassionate, empathetic, and gracious. Unknown to him, he was a model for others as they patterned their life after his. Sunny and optimistic, he never undertook a day without anticipation of its potential: for accomplishment, for joy, for discovery, for interaction, for lifting the spirit and hope of others. He knew beauty and spread it through every walk of his life.

Donald is survived by his children, David (Carla) of Havre, Barbara (Gwyn) of Bloomington, Ind., Nancy of Aurora, Colo., Julie (Tom) of Colorado Springs, Colo., and Jeff (Char) of Loveland, Ohio. He is also survived by nine grandchildren, Daniel, Cari, Benjamin, Megan, Jillian, Brianna, Torianne, Adam and Natalie; and three great-grandchildren. He is also survived by his brother, Paul; and sister, Eileen.

Donald was preceded in death by his parents; nephew, Wayne Peterson; his brother-in-law, Donald H. Peterson, and his beloved wife, Joan.

Memorials may be made to Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Kalispell, Mont., and Home Options Hospice.