DUANE ARTHUR McMILLEN

Duane Arthur McMillen - Cape Canaveral - Duane McMillen left this world suddenly and unexpectedly of heart failure the morning of Tuesday, April 13, 2010 in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Duane is survived by his wife, Marilyn Oliver McMillen; and two sons, Dale Arthur McMillen of North Potomac, Maryland and Brett Oliver McMillen of Herndon, Virginia. Duane is also survived by three grandchildren, Lauren and Trevor, daughter and son of Brett and his wife, Linda, and Rebecca daughter of Dale and his wife, Lorraine. Duane is also survived by his mother, Thela Daphne McMillen of Valley Glen, California; and two sisters, Charlene Pearlman also of Valley Glen, California, and Lani McMillen of Portland, Oregon. Duane was born in Granite City, Illinois on July 6, 1937, son of Charles Arthur McMillen and Thela Daphne Messer McMillen. His childhood years were spent in Illinois, California, Wyoming and Arizona. He graduated from high school in Tucson Arizona in 1955 and attended the University of Arizona for two years, after which he enlisted in the Navy. While in the Navy he specialized in radars and communications and became an avid enthusiast of the nascent space programs. When Duane completed his Navy enlistment in 1960, he joined RCA to pursue his aerospace passion. His early years at RCA brought him around the world installing communications and radar equipment, and soon he specialized in operating satellites from earth stations. He and his family settled in Hyattsville, Maryland from 1967 to 1974, where he worked on weather and scientific satellites at NASA's Goddard Space Center. In 1974, he and his family moved to Hamburg, New Jersey, where he helped develop, and eventually managed, the RCA Vernon Valley Earth Station that controlled numerous communication satellites, such as those used by cable TV. He continued at this assignment through the GE acquisition of RCA in 1986 until 1997 when he retired. As a life long aerospace aficionado who had spent too many grueling winters in Northern New Jersey shoveling snow, it was only natural that Duane and Marilyn would retire to Cape Canaveral, Florida. Duane was highly dedicated to his career during his working years. Nevertheless his transition to retirement was very easy and he relished every day. He and Marilyn regularly received family and friends at their beach condo and enjoyed his volunteer activities. Duane was an ordained Deacon at Riverside Presbyterian Church and was very active in their many projects such as "Super Chefs", mission trips to Mexico and building wood projects for the church. He also enjoyed volunteering at the Space Coast Jazz Society, the Brevard County Historical Society, Habitat for Humanity, and regularly organized beach cleanups and donated platelets to the local blood bank. He also truly enjoyed his wood shop where he made crafts, musical instruments and furniture. Duane loved his wife Marilyn most of all, and delighted in every moment he spent with his sons, their wives and grandchildren. He was well-loved by so many and will be missed by all. The funeral will be at Riverside Presbyterian Church, Cape Canaveral, Florida on Monday, April 19th at 2 p.m.
Instead of flowers, the family has requested that donations be made to the National Parkison's Foundation or Brevard County Habitat for Humanity