Alexander Milley

Alexander Milley 90, longtime resident of Winchester, died peacefully of natural causes in the presence of his family at his home on Thursday, April 16, 2015. Al was pre-deceased by his wife of 41 years, Mary Elizabeth (Murphy). Al is survived by his three children, Alexander (Sandy) Milley of Winchester, Mary K. Milley of Winchester, and General Mark Milley of Fort Bragg North Carolina, daughters-in-law Linda and Hollyanne and grandchildren Matthew, Alex, Mary Margaret, and Peter. Also, he is survived by his sisters June McCall of York, ME, Margaret Inman of Columbia, SC, and Moreen Heath of Somerville, MA along with many nieces and nephews. He was the brother-in-law of the late Sister A. Catherine Murphy CSJ of Regis College, Weston MA, and the late LtCol (Mass State Police) Thomas Murphy of Winchester. He was pre-deceased by brothers Peter, Harry, Tom, and Charlie and by sisters Doreen and Gladys. Alexander was born to the late Mary and Peter Milley in Somerville, MA on 27 April 1924 as the oldest of 10 children. He graduated from Somerville High School in 1943 and from Tilton Academy, NH, in 2014 as part of a deferred graduation honoring several WWII Veterans. Immediately upon graduation from Somerville HS, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy in March 1943 as a Navy Corpsman and was assigned to the 4th Marine Division. He graduated from Corpsman Training in Newport Rhode Island and joined the 4th Marine Division which conducted training at Camp Pendleton California and then in Maui Hawaii before conducting four assault landings in the Central Pacific. While assigned to the 4th Marine Division he participated in the island assaults on Kwajalean Atoll as part of the Marshall Islands Campaign in February 1944 followed by the battles for Saipan and Tinian in the Marianas Campaign in June and July of 1944. Alexander returned to Maui with the 4th Marine Division to prepare for the upcoming bloody battle of Iwo Jima which was assaulted by the Marines on 19 February 1945. Al and the 4th Marine Division were preparing for the invasion of the Japanese Home Islands as part of the assault force on Kyushu when the Japanese surrendered and WWII came to an end. Al was Honorably discharged in November 1945 with the rating of Pharmacist Mate Third Class and was awarded the Asiatic-Pacific Service Ribbon with 3 Bronze Stars along with the Presidential Unit Citation with 1 Blue Enameled Star and the World War II Victory Medal. Like most of the "Greatest Generation", World War II was a defining event for his entire life and Al always remained proud and humble about his service in some of the most significant battles in American history. Following WWII Al went into business with his brother Peter by opening up a small restaurant in Lexington which specialized in serving ice-cream and a variety of gourmet candies. Al and Peter sold the business and Al established a career as a food-broker for over 30 years working successfully for Babo Food Co., Barclay, Brown, and Jones Food Brokerage, and Dean Foods selling a variety of brand name foods throughout New England. Al was also heavily involved in many community activities in Winchester. He was a Winchester Town Council Meeting member, an active participant in the Knights of Columbus, a founding director and coach of Winchester Youth Hockey and long time coach of several teams in the Winchester Little League baseball system. Al was also a man of deep faith and a member of Winchester's Saint Mary's Parish and active as an Usher for Sunday Masses. Additionally, Al enjoyed spending summers with his family in Freedom and North Conway NH and York, ME Al will always be remembered as a devoted husband and father, loyal friend, successful businessman, and a very active member of the local community. He will be greatly missed by all those who knew him. and a very active member of the local community. He will be greatly missed by all those who knew him.