Obituary

William Richard Milne

William Richard Milne, known familiarly as “Bill,” was born August 30, 1939, in Kula, Maui, Hawaii. His father William was the office manager for Wailuku Sugar Company, and his mother Gertrude was a home economics teacher. He attended Kaunoa English Standard School, and graduated from H.P. Baldwin High School in 1957. As a young boy, he and his friends loved hiking the lush green hills of Maui, camping in the barren Haleakala crater, and scouring beaches for hidden WWII military rations. He played coronet in the band, enjoyed Boy Scouts, and was a medaled rifle marksman.

After high school, Bill went to the mainland to attend Stanford University, majoring in mechanical engineering. He also played in the infamous marching band that started the practice of wearing sport jackets, slacks, and hats, instead of the traditional uniform. Upon graduating in 1961, he was hired by the Boeing Company for their Dynamics Division to work on developing silos for the Minuteman Missile. He later coordinated Boeing’s work on the F-16 and F-22 fighter jets. He proceeded through different levels of management, was 1989 Boeing Manager of the year, and was the Executive Director for the newly created Aerospace and Defense Division when he retired in 2004 after 42 years with the company.

While getting his Master’s Degree in engineering, Bill met the love of his life, Catherine “Kitty” Distefano, a Registered Nurse from Louisiana, who was also pursuing her Master’s Degree. They met in 1964, married in 1966, designed and built a home overlooking Puget Sound, and had two children, Susan and David. Bill and Kitty’s shared love of history and travel took them all over Western Europe and Scandinavia, Great Britain, Russia, China, Africa, and South America. They also enjoyed leaving the rain of Seattle every spring for their beachfront apartment on Maui.

Bill enjoyed hiking the mountains of Washington with Kitty and his Boy Scout troop, whom he took on a 50-mile hike every summer for many years. His troop produced four Eagle Scouts, including his son, David. He also enjoyed fishing, golfing, reading a good mystery thriller, and giving/going to a good party.

Bill was an excellent leader and volunteer who loved numbers. He served as Treasurer on the Boards of Childcare Worldwide, Leilani Kai Resort, and Hope Christian Community Church. He was known for his great smile, witty quips, generosity, and hard work. He is greatly missed by all who knew him. He is survived by his wife of 58 years, Kitty; daughter, Susan and spouse, Leroy Born; son David and spouse Orianna; four grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

A celebration of life will be held for Bill on Saturday, June 7th, from 1:00 – 3:00 pm at Hope Christian Community Church in Burien, Washington.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to one of Bill’s treasured organizations, Childcare Worldwide, or Hope Christian Community Church.