Mr. Gavan J. MacMillan

GAVAN J. MacMILLAN of 33 Highland Avenue in Pittsfield died on Wednesday afternoon, November 27th, at Fairview Commons in Great Barrington where he had resided since August. Mr. MacMillan had lived at Pine Hill of Kimball Farms in Lenox since March of 2012. Born on September 23, 1926, he was the son of Ambrose MacMillan and Florence Driscoll MacMillan of Prince Edward Island, Canada. Mr. MacMillan moved to Massachusetts in 1945. He studied dairy processing at the School of Agriculture of the University of Massachusetts in Amherst in preparation for a life-long career in the production and management of dairy products. His first job in the Berkshires was at the former Rheinhart’s Sunnybrae Farm in Lanesboro where he became the dairy plant manager. As the dairy business shifted to super market sales, Mr. MacMillan went to work for Adams Super Markets in 1958. He remained with Adams until its closure in 1984 when he joined the staff of Harry’s Super Market where he worked until 2007. He married Ellen Hickey on June 14, 1952 at St. Ann’s Church in Lenox. Mrs. MacMillan died in 2008. In addition to his annual pilgrimage to Prince Edward Island every autumn, Mr. MacMillan and his wife enjoyed travel in Canada and the U.S., Europe, and many trips to the Caribbean. He loved Canadian fiddling music and he attended concerts throughout New England and Eastern Canada. Mr. MacMillan had been recognized for his volunteer work with the Berkshire County ARC and Highland Park, the playground next to the family home where he had lived since 1960. He was an avid gardener and a caring neighbor. Mr. MacMillan was a communicant of St. Charles Church. He leaves three sons: Thomas MacMillan and A.J. MacMillan, both of Pittsfield, and Carl MacMillan of Toronto, Canada; two granddaughters, Mary Ellen MacMillan and Audrey MacMillan, and their mother, Joan Walter MacMillan, all of Rye, New Hampshire; three brothers: Frank (Jane), Wilfred (Marilyn), and Gerald MacMillan, two sisters: Florence Richards and Mary (Ralph) Carragher, and two sister-in-laws: Barbara MacMillan and Carol MacMillan, all of Prince Edward Island, Canada, and many nieces and nephews including Patricia Hogan of Pittsfield, James and Edward Quinn, both of Lenox, and Mary Beth Galbraith of Parrish, Florida. Mr. MacMillan had been predeceased by his daughter, Gail MacMillan, of Stowe, Vermont, who died in 2012, three brothers: Joseph MacMillan, Leo MacMillan, and George MacMillan, and one brother-in-law, Charles Richards, all of Prince Edward Island, Canada. Funeral Notice: Funeral services for Mr. Gavan J. MacMillan will be Monday, December 2, 2013 at 9 a.m. from the Dwyer Funeral Home, 776 North St., Pittsfield MA with a Liturgy of Christian Burial at 10 a.m. at St. Charles Church, celebrated by Michael C. Lillpopp, Parochial Vicar of St. Charles Church. Burial will follow in St. Joseph Cemetery. Calling hours at the funeral home will be Sunday, December 1, 2013 from 2 to 5 p.m. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Berkshire County ARC care of the Dwyer Funeral Home in his memory.

Mr. Gavan J. MacMillan

September 23, 1926 - November 27, 2013