James L. Miland

1944 - 2022

James L. Miland

STANLEY - James L. Miland, 78, of Stanley, passed away on Friday, May 20, 2022, at home with his family by his side. He was born on March 30, 1944, in Stanley, to the late James and Loretta (Lacina) Miland. Jim grew up on the family farm in the Town of Delmar and graduated from Stanley-Boyd High in 1962. He served in the National Guard after high school. Jim married Mary Lou Mahr in Milwaukee, in 1966. They moved back to the Town of Delmar where the couple raised their three children. They later divorced.

Jim worked for Payne and Dolan Company as an operating engineer for many years. He was a foreman on the gravel crew working most of his career in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Jim never let dust settle on his lap. He continued to drive grader for the Town of Delmar in "retirement" as well as many other jobs grading and shaping the landscape in Wisconsin, Michigan, Colorado, Montana, Alaska and the Dakotas.

Jim lived up to his nickname of "The Man the Myth the Legend". Some of his yearly adventures included lake trout fishing with Tim in Canada at Brown's Clearwater West resort, summers in Sterling, Alaska salmon and halibut fishing, deer hunting in Kansas, ice fishing in South Dakota, elk hunting in Estes Park, CO, and mule deer hunting at the Cox ranch in Whitewater, MT. When Jim wasn't plowing snow or grading roads for the town of Delmar, he could be found ice fishing and drinking beer with friends at Otter Lake in his famous red shack. Jim was part of the famous "Buck Meadows" crew that hunted south of Stanley for many years. Deer hunting was a tradition in the Miland family and Jim hunted with his brother Bill, sons and many nephews for many years in the Stanley area. He was fortunate to be able to travel to Norway with family and meet some of his relatives in Miland, Norway.

Jim had friends from all over the world and was known to spend hours on Sunday mornings making his famous phone calls. He wasn't one to let the dirt settle under his feet for long. Even over the last couple of years as he bravely fought his battle with cancer, he continued to travel and work right up to the day before he entered hospice. He may be gone from the earth but be assured he will never be forgotten!

He is survived by his children: Jenny (Mark) Cheever of Appleton, Tim (Michelle) of Eau Claire and Ben "Whitey" (Mindy) of Stanley; his grandchildren: Nick, Jordan, Benjamin, Hailey, Jenessa, Claudia and Christina; his great grandchildren: Kasey, Gracelynn and Chase; and his siblings: Bill (Bonnie) of Appleton and Bonnie (LeRoy) Burzinski of Beloit. Jim is preceded in death by his parents: Jim and Loretta; and siblings: Carol Duss, Betty Dahle, Duane "Bing", Marion Peterson, Mike and Ronald in infancy.

A funeral service will be held at 11:00 AM on Thursday, May 26, 2022, at the Plombon Funeral Home-Stanley, WI, with Rev. Lucy Schottelkorb officiating. Visitation will be from 4:00 - 8:00 Wednesday, and one hour prior to service all at the funeral home. Inurnment will take place at a later date in Big Drywood Cemetery.

Jim's family would like to thank Dr Al-Hattab with Mayo Clinic as well as Linda, Jordan and the entire Mayo hospice team for their support during this difficult time.

The family is making plans to place a bench in Jim's honor at the Stanley Elk Park. Donations can be sent to the Jim Miland Elk Bench Project at the Stanley Sportsman's Club, PO Box 65, Stanley WI 54768.