Obituary of Max E. Millsap

No Visitation is Planned Max Ellis Millsap, 89, died on August 22, 2008. He was born on April 12, 1919 near the town of Powersville, Missouri. He spent his childhood near Powersville, attending high school in that town. He attended college at Northeast Missouri State Teachers College in Kirksville, Missouri, earning a Teachers Certificate. He then taught for two years in a one-room school in the Galesburg District. In May, 1941, Max volunteered to enter the service and was assigned to Combat Engineer Training at Fort Leonard Wood Missouri. At the end of the war, he was discharged in 1945 at Fort Lewis, Washington.Max met his future wife, Lillian Turner, in 1944 while he was stationed in Camp Abbot, Oregon. They were married on November 30, 1944 in Olympia. Following Max’s discharge from the service, they lived in Anaconda, Montana and in Bend, Oregon. Max worked for Intermountain Transportation Company in Anaconda and Pacific Trailways in Bend. Max and Lillian moved to Olympia in 1951. Max sold insurance at first, but worked at Olympia Oil and Wood starting in 1954. He eventually became the General Manager, secretary, and shareholder in that company in 1968. He retired from Olympia Oil and Wood in 1992. Max was highly active in several service organizations during his lifetime. He served in the United Way from 1952 to 1996, mostly in planning and allocation. He has been a Kiwanis Club member since 1949. He served as Secretary-Treasurer of the Olympia club from 1965 to 1985. He was President of the Capital Club from 1956 to 1957. He had also been a member of the Taxpayers Association, the Chamber of Commerce, and the Economic Development Council. Max was also active in the local Republican Party and was a Precinct Committee Officer for many years. Lillian and Max had a son, Roger Ellis Millsap, in 1954. He lives in Tempe, Arizona and is a Professor at Arizona State University. He and his wife, Michele, have four children, Mason (age 9), Laura (age 7), Simone (age 5), and Aiden (age 2). Max and Lillian were married for 63 years. Lillian died on June 26, 2008. Max is survived by a sister, Norma Gene Taylor of Hammond, Louisiana. You may leave memories and condolences online by clicking on "View Guestbook" below: