Eric Milton

Eric David Milton, of Warner Robins, GA, passed away suddenly on Sunday, January 28, 2024, due to heart failure and complications from Type II Diabetes. He was 57 years old.
Eric was born in Toledo, Ohio, on December 3, 1966, the firstborn son of Charlotte Sue (Crumbaker) St. John and Larry St. John. When his parents brought him home from the hospital, Eric had a 50% chance of living due to a pinched aorta in his heart. At the age of 2 ½, Eric underwent an open-heart surgery that was not only remarkable for its complexity on a patient so young but also because it was the first of its kind in Toledo. He survived and thrived, wearing his zipper scar as a badge of persistence through challenge while growing his strength as a bodybuilder.
Eric grew up in Madisonville, Kentucky. He graduated in 1985 from Madisonville North Hopkins High School, where he played the trumpet in the marching band. Eric began working at a young age, delivering a paper route by bicycle with his younger brother, Jeff. In 1988, Eric joined the U.S. Navy. He became a storekeeper and helmsman on the USS Providence, SSN-719, a nuclear submarine stationed in New Groton, Connecticut. He served during the Gulf War and was honorably discharged in 1992. The same year, his stepfather, Kenneth Milton, formally adopted him.
On April 28, 2001, Eric married his childhood sweetheart, Leslie Ann Crumbaker Dusek. They spent many years doting on family members in Michigan and Texas and delighting in their shared love of good food. From Mexican migas to seafood and Alpine Quiche, it was never a family celebration with a delicious meal.
Nicknamed "Bubba" by his little sister Melissa, Eric was known for his endless supply of bear hugs, fierce loyalty, and gentle spirit. He patiently served as the jungle gym of choice for generations of young family members. Eric read widely, explored his intellectual side at Lake Superior State University, and spent a few years in spiritual contemplation as a monk at St. Benedict Monastery in Oxford, Michigan. His serious and organized mind also lent itself to inventory and sales jobs in hardware stores and industrial supply warehouses. His favorite role by far was working with Leslie as a professional over-the-road truck driving team. This job took them on the adventure of a lifetime, traveling millions of miles all over the United States and even up to Canada.
Eric is survived by his wife, Leslie Ann Milton and mother Charlotte Sue Milton, both of Warner Robins, GA; biological father Larry St. John (Judy) of Perrysburg, Ohio; Stepson Gary A. Dusek (Lindsey Johnson) of San Marcos, TX; Stepdaughter Sarah Dusek of Chadron, NE; brother Jeffery L. Milton (Nicole) of Howell, MI; sister Melissa Milton-Pung (Barnaby) of Ann Arbor, MI; stepbrother John Rublaitus (Thoibi) of California; brother Will St. John of Ohio; brother Robert St. John of Ohio; sister Mary Katherine Hughes (Seth) of Washington State; cousin Gary L. Milton (Kathy) of Macon, GA; several nephews, a niece, and many cousins. He was preceded in death by his father, Kenneth Milton.
Eric leaves a hole in his family as big as his heart, an extraordinarily strong muscle that beat the odds to live with 54 more loving years than initially predicted. No funeral services are planned.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks for those who remember Eric to be kind to others and donate to the March of Dimes https://www.marchofdimes.org/.
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