Shedding Light

A wonderful, hardworking, funny, fair, and kindhearted man passed away on September 15, 2021. That man was my grandpa, Billy E. McElroy. Technically, he was my great-grandpa, but — although he was certainly great — he was always just grandpa.

Now, I could go on and on and on talking about what a wonderful grandpa he was, but oh, was he so much more than that. My grandpa Bill was a loving husband to his wife Nellie, who passed away in October of 2014. He was a grandson and a son. He was also a father to three children. Then, he was a grandpa, greatgrandpa, and even a great great-grandpa to many grandchildren. And throughout his entire life, Bill was a hard worker.

Bill developed his work ethic when he was raised on a farm in Texas. He went on to work for Kerr-McGee, mining uranium for many, many years. After his retirement at Kerr-McGee, Bill worked for the old golf course in Milan. In return for servicing the course, all he wanted was to be able to play a little golf — a sport he loved to play. After working for the golf course, Bill decided to work for the Village of Milan. He began working for the village in 2004 and remained working there for a total of 16 years. Bill retired at 90 years old in 2020.

During his time with Milan, Bill worked mainly as a Parks and Recreation Supervisor. Many of the canopies at parks such as Elkins Park and Kearns Field were products of Bill’s supervision and the work of himself and his crews. Bill also played a major role in building the Lummis Man (also known as the Malpais Man) that was burned every year at the Village of Milan’s annual Pumpkin Patch Fall Festival at Kearns Field. Bill also was responsible for the Christmas light decorations featured on Route 66 though Milan, as well as many painting projects for village buildings. These are just a few of the projects that Bill was a part of, but many of Bill’s coworkers over the years would attest to the fact that Bill went above and beyond. He did so many things behind the scenes that he never cared to seek credit for; he did it just because he cared and enjoyed working hard all of his life.

After Bill’s funeral on Friday, September 24, the Milan Police Department and Milan Fire Department were kind enough to facilitate a procession through Milan, giving Bill one last ride around the area he loved so dearly. MPD led Bill, his family, and the rest of the funeral procession from Compassion Mortuary to the Village of Milan, past Elkins Park, to Kearns Field, past the Village City Hall, and then to the City of Grants gravesite.

No words can express just how much those procession moments meant to myself and my family. To see the parks, the buildings, and the area that my grandpa devoted such a huge part of his life to improving was so meaningful and special. Now, every time we drive through the Village of Milan, there will be a void and Bill’s absence will be felt. But we will also remember the legacy of such a wonderful, hardworking man who was as tough as nails but as kindhearted as a person could be.

I would like to say thank you to everyone who has sent their prayers and condolences during this time. Although there will be sadness, there will also be celebration of the wonderful life that was lived.

After my grandpa passed, a dear family friend told me just how much my grandpa loved reading and seeing my articles in the newspaper. He would show them to her and say, “Look what Kylie wrote.” Well grandpa, this column, everything I write from now on, and whatever success I may have in this field is all for you.

See you again someday grandpa,

Love Kylie