William Judson (Mac) McMillan, MSgt, USAF, Ret., passed away peacefully surrounded by family on May 30, 2019, at his home in Lompoc, CA. Bill was born in April 17th, 1946, in Daytona Beach, FL.
He was preceded in death by his parents Oscar Charlie (Jiggs) McMillan and June Evelyn McMillan Stevens along with his half brother Robert (Bob) Bell. He is survived by his half sister Jayne (McMillan) Peake of Colorado Springs, CO; his loving wife of 52 years, Vicky, children, Kimberly (Larry) Jaques of Henderson, NV; Pamela Andrew Gandarillas of Vancouver, WA; Amy (Paul) Thacker of Henderson, NV; Kelley (Brandon) Kelly of North Tustin, CA; Kyle (Karen) of Chapin, SC; and William of Las Vegas, NV, He also leaves 16 grandchildren and one great-grandchild. Bill grew up in Daytona Beach where he was graciously raised by his aunt Em and Uncle Archie from age 9. Although his parents were separated, he spent time with his grandmother in Canada during his youth learning to swim and appreciate the history of his mother’s native Ontario. He also spent some time with his father, and ombudsman and welder who served the southeast coast, until he went to stay permanently with his aunt and uncle. Immediately following his high school graduation, Bill joined the U.S. Airforce on September 2, 1964. He served 26 years, 1 month, and 1 day, retiring October 1st, 1990. One month later, he began work as a military contractor at FMS until retiring in April, 2018. While at Vandenber Air Force Base, he additionally worked at night as a janitor for many years, eventually shifting his attention to washer and dryer repair – a side job he was well-known for – and received service calls up through his final month of life. His greatest joy was his family of six children and his abundance of grandchildren. He had so many plans for what he wanted to do with them once retired: plans like taking the younger boys to Canada’s Gordon Bay to experience the family’s homestead on his mother’s side and visit his 95 year old Uncle Malcolm; plans to camp at Nira; plans to go motorcycling with the older grandsons and son-in-laws, maybe catching a few more Indy and Nascar races too. If you asked those who knew Bill to describe him, they’ say he was one of the kindest, most loving, give you the shirt off his back type of man you’d ever meet. He was notorious for his practical jokes, Hawaiian shirts and dry sense of humor and his storytelling — especially when it came to Vandenberg’s random facts and history. Everywhere he went, he met a friend, never a stranger.
Bill’s life was in all ways full. He was good, well admired, and loved by many both near and far. A Celebration of Bill’s life will be held at Vandenber Air Force Base Chapel 1, Ca 93437 on Tuesday, June 18th, 12:00pm. After the service, lunch will be offered in the reception hall for everyone to gather and share memories. Flowers are welcome; contributions may be sent to http://afas.org/ways-to-give/. For access to the VAFB Chapel, please contact Pamela Gandarillas, 360-281-2955 (text ok), no later than June 14th, 2019.
