Respected attorney recalled as a man without enemies

Leaving a celebration of life for his longtime colleague Ian Millikan, a fellow lawyer wished he’d spent more time with the Marysville attorney.

“And he and I practiced law together since 1978,” Richard Swanson said. “Everybody who came away from that ceremony was saying ‘I wish I’d spent more time with him.’

“He was a remarkable person with a real zest for life,” Swanson said.

Ian Gordon Millikan died June 21 at his Marysville home following a two-year struggle with brain cancer. He was 61.

Since her husband’s death, Victoria Millikan has heard from many friends and colleagues about her husband’s hard work, his respected career and involvement in his community.

At home, he showed a quieter side. He clipped recipes and book reviews out of newspapers. He loved to cook, and spiced up recipes with ingredients from his garden.

“To us, he was just Ian,” Vicki Millikan said of her husband. “It’s hard to explain a person like him. When he was home, he was quiet,” she said, yet he was energized by people and involvement.

The Snohomish County Bar Association honored Millikan by naming him 2006 Attorney of the Year. He was a past president of the Marysville Sunrise Rotary and past chairman of the Greater Marysville Tulalip Chamber of Commerce.

Chamber President Caldie Rogers said Millikan served as the chamber’s first legal counsel. “His strength, compassion and fairness was truly inspirational,” Rogers said.

Along with his wife of 38 years, Millikan is survived by his daughter, Andrea Millikan; his son and daughter-in-law, Greg and Alison Millikan; grandson Sam Millikan; and many family members and friends.

He and Vicki, a pharmacist, met at Everett Community College. Both went on to the University of Washington. Before graduating from the UW in 1972, Millikan spent two years in the U.S. Army and served a year in Vietnam. He earned his law degree at the University of Puget Sound.

He was born March 3, 1947, at a U.S. Army hospital in Germany. He was preceded in death by his father, Gordon Millikan; his mother, Anne Barnes; and his stepfather, Ken Barnes.

“My dad had the ability to fill up a room, to make people feel comfortable,” Andrea Millikan said. “Sitting around having dinner, if there was a new person at the table, he was certainly going to get to know that person.”

Her father’s sense of humor was legendary. “Many times I would call and my dad would answer the phone. We’d end up getting in a conversation, this back-and-forth banter. I’d hang up and discover I never got to the point of my call,” she said.

At Christmas, she’d give her father another cookbook in “The Best American Recipes” series.

“His blackberry pies were famous, but never once did they make it to this office,” Swanson said.

Up at 5 a.m. many days, he’d work out at a gym or play basketball with a group of teachers at a Marysville school.

“He was just really a go-getter,” said Rose Austin, who worked for Millikan as a legal assistant. “He would have his real strong cup of coffee, black coffee. He always had a smile on his face. All the clients adored him,” she said.

Doug Newman became a friend of Millikan’s through the Marysville Sunrise Rotary, and drove him to meetings even as his illness progressed.

He remembers the group holding a blood drive on Millikan’s behalf. “The community outpouring was amazing. So many people talked about how ‘Ian did this for me’ and ‘Ian did that.’ It was the most diverse group, and he had touched them somehow, throughout their lives,” Newman said.

As leader of a homeowners association, Newman once had a dispute and asked Millikan to help. “Ian talked to the people, and they actually called me back and said, ‘You know that nice man? We got a resolution.’ They raved about how nice a guy he was. When your adversary comes back to you and says kind things about your attorney — that’s the type of guy he was,” Newman said.

Millikan loved backpacking, and had traveled to Glacier and Yellowstone national parks. He went to Africa’s Mount Kilimanjaro. Well read and well traveled, his folksier side once had Millikan setting up a free legal advice booth at the Marysville Strawberry Festival. “A lot of people stopped,” Vicki Millikan said.

“Ian made everything fun,” Newman said.

“He had this thirst for knowledge, and was just a nice person,” Swanson said. “While he was sick, every time I’d go to the courthouse, people would always ask ‘How’s Ian doing?’ He didn’t have enemies; he just had friends.”

Reporter Julie Muhlstein: 425-339-3460 or muhlstein@heraldnet.com.