Gen. Millington, a leader in military, business, life

Retired Brig. Gen. William Millington, who followed his 20 years in the Marine Corps with three decades as an executive of Seattle's Acacia Memorial Park and Funeral Home, liked the view from the top.

Not only had he climbed to the top of Mount Rainier several times when he was younger, he also had commanded air squadrons at significant hot spots in World War II and earned induction into the Carrier Aviation Hall of Fame.

At Acacia, Gen. Millington oversaw construction of the new mausoleum.

An outdoorsman and pilot, he also once rented a DC-3 to fly fellow Rotarians to a fishing spot in British Columbia. He had been a past president of Seattle Rotary.

"He was a natural-born leader," said his son, Charles Millington of Seattle. "He was extremely active and full of energy. He carried authority in his person. He spoke quietly, but his word carried a lot of weight."

Gen. Millington died Tuesday (March 14) of a heart attack. He was 85.

Born to a physician and his wife in Ruth, Nev., he graduated from Garfield High School in 1932. He competed on the ski team and earned a degree in business at the University of Washington in 1936.

With the winds of war kicking up, he joined the Marine Corps and took flight training at Seattle's former Sand Point Naval Air Station.

He became a flight instructor and also served in the Pacific during World War II. He commanded several groups including Squadron VMF-124, the first Marine carrier-based squadron. He directed F4U Corsair strikes in the South Pacific and crafted a close-air-support plan for the Battle of Iwo Jima.

One of his groups was among the first to use napalm, but only a third of the bombs detonated.

"He also had to send the men out with insufficient firepower," said his son, "so he told them to `go in and scrape your bellies on the ground' to hit enemy targets."

Later, he commanded squadrons aboard the carrier Essex and became one of the first to shoot down a Japanese plane during secret raids over Japan's home islands.

After the war Gen. Millington served two years as a naval attache for air in Oslo.

In 1956, he moved to Seattle. He became Acacia vice president, then president. He semi-retired in 1985.

He was active in Seattle Golf Club and Seattle Tennis Club.

He also was a hero to his kids.

"He was just devoted to the outdoors," said his son. "In college he was a mountaineer and a guide on Rainier. But I remember him most for my experiences with him hiking, camping and leading my Boy Scout troop in Seattle."

Also surviving are a daughter, Penny Millington Byrd, Federal Way; a sister, Mary Lacey Nohrden, San Diego; two grandchildren; and a great-grandchild. His first wife, Jeanne Millington, to whom he was married 46 years, died in 1985. His second wife, Georgia Millington, to whom he was married eight years, died in 1994.

Services are at 3 p.m. Wednesday at Horizon House, 900 University St., Seattle.

His favorite charities include the American Heart Association, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, the Humane Society for Seattle/King County and Horizon House Endowment Fund.