William "Bill" J. Milliner

William J. (Bill) Milliner of Elkhart, died Saturday, October 2, at Riverside Village. He was born December 28, 1918, in Wabash, Indiana, to Quincy and Dorothae (Mills) Milliner. On August 1, 1949, in Wabash he married Dorothy Small and shortly afterward they moved to Elkhart to make their home.

Survivors include his daughter, Christine Johnsen (Joseph) of Granger; two sons, William (Donna) of Granger, and Mitchell (Lisa) of Osceola; ten grandchildren, Jamie Haradine, Patrick Johnsen, Christopher, Allison, Carly, Tori, Elizabeth and Michael Milliner and Bill and Whitney Grace; three great-grandchildren; and two sisters, Dorothy Mattern of Wabash, and Mary Ann Wilson of Indianapolis. He was preceded in death by his wife Dorothy, his parents, and two brothers, Robert and John.

Mr. Milliner attended Wabash High School headlining in football, basketball and baseball. After graduation in 1936 he continued his versatile athletic program at Manchester College. While at Manchester he earned four varsity letters in football, three in basketball, was captain of the 1940 team, selected to the 1939-1940 all-state team and selected to Who’s Who in Colleges and Universities in 1941. Serving as quarterback on the gridiron he led his team to a state championship his senior season prompting an invitation from the New York Giants to report for tryouts.

After ending his playing career, Milliner moved to coaching at Monroeville, Indiana, from 1941-42 and ’47-’48. His coaching career was interrupted by war time service in the U.S. Navy. He then led the Allen County school to a .753 record and Sectional, Regional, and Semi-state Championships—the only Ft. Wayne area school to ever have achieved those titles creating records that still stand today.

From 1942-1946 Bill served in the United States Navy at Great Lakes Training Station in Waukegan, Illinois, being discharged as a chief petty officer. While serving he played on the powerful Great Lakes basketball team that produced a host of wins over major college teams. Coached by legends Tony Hinkle of Butler University and Hank Iba, Bill formed many of his coaching techniques under their guidance.

In 1948 Elkhart welcomed Bill Milliner as the new coach of the Elkhart Blazers at Elkhart High School. Over the next six seasons Coach Milliner saw an over-all winning percentage of .755, two (2) Conference Championships, five (5) Sectional Championships, three (3) Regional Championships, a Semi-Final Championship and a State Finalist in 1954. No previous team in Blue Blazer history had more success than the ’53-’54 squad. During his coaching career of nine years he sent numerous players on to Division One Colleges, a fact of which he was most proud. The continued success of his “boys” was one of his greatest joys.

Entering private business in 1955 Bill joined the former St. Joe Valley Bank (Chase) in the insurance division. After a successful career in the business world he retired in 1983.

Mr. Milliner has been active in many community organizations. He is a member of the Central Christian Church, Elks Lodge, Masonic Lodge #293, Elkhart County Hall of Fame and the Manchester College Hall of Fame.

Bill has been an inspirational mentor to many. His winning personality and genuine caring for everyone will be missed by all who knew him.

Visitation will be held at the Stemm-Lawson- Peterson Funeral Home at Cobblestone Crossing, Elkhart from 2-8 PM on Friday, October 8th. Services will be held at the First Presbyterian Church, 200 E. Beardsley Ave., Elkhart, Indiana, on Saturday, October 9th at 11:00 AM. Memorial Contributions may be made to the Elkhart Community Schools William J. Milliner Scholarship Fund c/o Old National Bank, 300 Nibco Parkway, Elkhart, IN 46516 or Center for Hospice and Palliative Care.

Visit www.stemmlawsonpeterson.com to sign an online guestbook.