Carl James McMillan

Carl J. McMillan was born August 14, 1944, to Robert McMillan, Sr. and Catherine E. Whitaker in Tallahassee, Florida. He attended Bethel Missionary Baptist Church. A native of Tallahassee, Florida, he attended Leon County Public Schools. After high school, he joined the United States Army. In May of 1967, Carl married his beloved wife, Syliva. With this union their only child Patria A. McMillan was born. They made their home in Washington, DC and years later moved to Woodbridge, Virginia. Carl moved to Washington, DC to search for better job opportunities to support his young family. During that time, he worked at the University of Maryland, Pepco, and the National Gallery of Art. He attended a heating and air conditioning school where he earned his certification to become a licensed HVAC Specialist . In 1972, he accepted a position with the District of Columbia Department of Public Works (DPW). After working for DPW for 30 years, he retired as Chief Engineer overseeing all the District of Columbia Court Buildings as well as buildings in upper Northwest of DC. Six months after retiring from DPW, he decided he needed to keep himself busy and went back to work. He became a Bus Operator for Metro in Prince William County for another ten years. Carl was a true outdoorsman. During his young adult years, he enjoyed fishing, hunting, and working on old cars. When he finally retired for the last time, he found joy in working on his 1949 Ford and rebuilding an engine. Above all, he loved his family and friends. If you knew Carl, you knew he enjoyed being around people. He loved to laugh and joke with you. He believed that no matter what job you decide to do in life you should always be the best at what you do. Carl is preceded in death by his wife Sylvia, his parents, sister Jo Elanor Mccaskill, brothers John Arthur McMillan, and Robert McMillan, Jr. He leaves to cherish his memory, his daughter Patria A. McMillan. He is survived by his sister Algenora McMillan (Lakeland, FL), brothers Wayne McMillan (Tallahassee, FL), Ellis McKinney (Renetta) (Arlington, VA), sister in-laws Linda McMillan (Newark, NJ), Rosetta Palmer (Columbus, GA), and brother in-law Leroy Hines (Twanda) (Tallahassee, FL), and a host of grand god children, nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.

Tributes

Carl James McMillan

August 14, 1944 - February 11, 2026