Grant E. Milliron left his earthly home and ascended to the throne to eternally be with his beloved Lord, Jesus Christ, on Wednesday, July 26, 2023 at 8:50 AM due to heart failure. He was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Mary, and his son, Mark.
On February 28, 1935, Grant E. Milliron was born in Mansfield, Ohio. His childhood was not an easy one. He started working at the age of 12 to help support his family. He attributes his outstanding work ethic to a farmer he worked for who taught him the value of hard work.
Grant graduated from Madison High School in 1953 where he made lifelong friends and married his high school sweetheart, Mary Nell Yates. They remained married for 67 years until her passing in 2021. He was a determined and competitive athlete in high school participating in football, basketball, and track. He was a good student that liked chemistry, wanting to go to college to be a chemical engineer. He could not afford college and was disappointed when he did not receive a college scholarship for football. He then tried to become a State Highway Patrolman but was rejected because of his height- too short. He then took a job at the steel mill.
In 1954, Grant and his dad decided to open a salvage yard business with a business plan written out on one piece of paper and $1,000. From there, his business ventures grew and multiplied and, he would tell you, his success was due to the sovereign hand of God who helped him connect to the right people at the right time and, especially, due to the loving support of his wife, Mary. Milliron Industries became one of the leading innovative scrap companies in the world. He worked until age 87 and cared deeply for his employees.
He felt very blessed by God and was compelled to share his blessings with his community and those around the world. He gave lots of his time and money to make things better. He saw a need to spread God’s word to the Haitian children and develop educational opportunities, so he built a new school for Haitian children in LeCaye, Haiti. Grant’s own children graduated from Shelby High School, and he has greatly supported that school system. He also built the new Shelby Fire Station. He loved supporting The Friendly House children’s activity center in Mansfield. It was also important to him to support the children at the Richland County fair by purchasing their animals. He has done so many good deeds, there’s too many to list, and he did them all with a genuine, loving, and humble heart.
Faith in God was Grant’s foundation. He learned about God when his grandpa took him to church as a boy at Main Street United Methodist Church which he continued to attend and support all his life. He also watched the Charles Stanley InTouch Ministry program every Sunday on TV. His favorite Psalm is verse 118:24- “Today is the day the LORD has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it.”
He took advantage of every opportunity every single day. One of Grant’s principles was to always learn something new each day. He lived a quiet and humble life, and he was genuine in every way. Hard work, determination, generosity, and most of all, his walk with God, made Grant a devoted husband, father, successful businessman, and compassionate philanthropist.
His legacy will continue to live on in the hearts and minds of his children: Cyndy Hursh, Steve and Karen Kleer, JR and Teresa Milliron, Jeff and Marsha DeVito, Karl and Jill Milliron and Ken and Kate Hlad, 10 grandchildren, 14 great grandchildren and 2 great great grandchildren. All his children feel extremely blessed to have had Grant as their earthly father, and will miss his love, friendship, and wisdom.
Some of Grant’s best days, included, but were not limited to (and in no particular order): spending time with his children and grandchildren, meeting President George W. Bush on stage at the Renaissance Theater, dressing up as Santa for Friendly House children, feeding the birds and watching them enjoy his beautiful backyard, buying and planting flowers, creating wetlands and beautiful spaces in nature, fishing on Lake Erie, riding his bike on the beach in Fort Myers, Florida and enjoying waterfront dining at Matanzas, supporting community projects, and helping someone in need. Grant E. Milliron was, and always will be, what his initials spell out- a one of a kind GEM!
Visitors are welcome on Wednesday, August 2, 2023 from 2-8 pm at Shelby High School, 1 Whippet Way, Shelby, where Grant will lie in honor in the school rotunda- a space he was instrumental in designing when the school was being built. Those visiting are asked to please enter through the Athletic Entrance- the easternmost entrance of the building. Funeral services will be private with immediate family at the Penwell Turner Funeral Home, Shelby. Rev. Steven L. Schag, Mayor of the City of Shelby, will officiate the services with burial following beside his dear wife, Mary, in Oakland Cemetery in Shelby.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in memory of Grant and Mary Milliron can be made to the Shelby Foundation, 142 North Gamble Street, Shelby, Ohio 44875 or via their website: TheShelbyFoundation.org/donate or to the Richland County Foundation, 181 South Main Street, Mansfield, Ohio, 44902, or via their website RichlandCountyFoundation.org/donate.
Care for Grant and his family is being provided by the Penwell Turner Funeral Home, 168 West Main Street, Shelby. Online messages of condolence may be left on Grant’s obituary on the funeral home’s website, www.PenwellTurner.com or their Facebook page, www.Facebook.com/PenwellFuneral.
Funeral Home: Penwell Turner Funeral Home
Website: www.PenwellTurner.com