John Francis Milas

John Francis Milas was born in Kraslava, Latvia on May 5th, 1940. A devoted husband and father, he passed away peacefully in his longtime home in Fairfax, Virginia on the morning of April 26th, 2025 at the age of 84 following a short illness which he bravely faced. He was surrounded by family.
As a young boy John and his family escaped the Soviet occupation of Lithuania and the Baltic states in 1945, fleeing to Germany and eventually the United States following the Allied Victory, growing up in Kenosha, Wisconsin. In a move that would illustrate both his deep faith and courageous self belief he would leave the Catholic Seminary and instead heed a different calling, accepting a place at the Navy Officer Candidate School in Newport, Rhode Island.
It was during this time that he would meet and propose to the love of his life – Consiglia Sasso – and the pair would wed following his graduation as a commissioned officer in the United States Navy where he would be assigned a role at the Pentagon at the height of the Cold War.
John would soon go on to attain a Master of Science from George Washington University while undertaking what would become a distinguished career at the Department of Defense for 40 years, both in and out of uniform as a Naval Reservist in Washington DC, London, England and Naples, Italy.
It was family life however that would be his proudest achievement and his greatest, most enduring legacy. A devoted husband and father, he would raise four children – Annalisa, Monique, Ruben and Alexander and would become an integral part of the daily life of his eight grandchildren and four great grandchildren whom he adored. He celebrated his 59th anniversary with Consiglia in September of 2024.
He will forever be remembered as a loving, generous, faithful and ceaselessly caring gentleman – an insatiably curious scholar of art, world history, music and culture. What he treasured most however was family, and he will be deeply missed by all whose lives were touched by his gentle spirit and who were inspired by his quiet strength.
A private service will be held to honor John's memory on what would have been his 85th birthday on May 5th at St. Mary of Sorrows in Fairfax, Virginia beginning with visitation at 11:00 followed by funeral mass at 11:30. Full military honors and interment at Arlington National Cemetery will follow on a date to be determined later this year.