John Milford

John R. Milford, 82, of Erie, passed into the arms of the Lord on October 24, 2013. He was born in Kane, PA, on May 7th, 1931, the son of the late Mark E. and Theresa Gregory Milford.

John graduated from Kane High School and served in the Army from 1949-1952 during the Korean War. He worked a few years at General Electric until he became employed as an Equipment Mechanic Forman for the Long Beach Naval Shipyard in Long Beach, CA.

John was a devout Catholic and member of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. He achieved Eagle Scout recognition with his identical twin and became a Troop Leader for Cub Scouts a favorite time for his son Steven. He was a founding member of the FDR Memorial and was honored for helping to complete the memorial in Washington, DC.

He loved playing Yatzee with his daughter Barbara, dancing, Bingo, golfing with his brothers Leo and Joseph, and going to dinner with his niece, Sherrie-Jo who lovingly called him ‘Mr. Cool Dude’. He was a loving, kind, gentle, caring, a true gentleman and always wanted to help others. He was very proud of all his family. He always made others smile or laugh and will be very missed by not only his family but also his extended family at ForestView Health Center (where he lived) who also loved him very much as he was such a joy to be around.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Arvilla T. Schaack Milford; his son, John R. Milford, Jr.; granddaughter Theresa Marie Milford; his identical twin, Joseph R. Milford; brothers, Leo Milford, James Milford and Mark Milford; his sisters, Shirley Simpson and Theresa Sapper; his sister in law, Dolores Milford; brother in law, Harold Sapper and his very dear companion of 17 years, Eleanor Gleichsner.

He is survived by his son, Steven Milford and wife Rebecca; daughter Barbara Milford, both of Houston, TX; his sister in laws, Charlotte Milford of Rochester, NY, Jenny Milford of Ridgway, PA and Judy Milford of Oceanside, CA; brother in law, Walter Simpson of Las Vegas, NV; niece and Goddaughter, Sherrie-Jo Christ of Erie and many other nieces and nephews. He is further survived by 6 grandchildren and many great grandchildren, which includes identical triplets.

Burial will be private and at the convenience of the family and Interment will be in The Gate of Heaven Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Northwestern PA Humane Society, P.O. Box 3930, Erie, PA 16508.