The family behind Milam Funeral Home and Cremation Services now grieves one of its own. Marcus “Mickey” Milam III, its longtime director and business owner, died June 13 at the age of 84.

“He was genuine and caring,” said Katy Milam, his daughter. “My dad lived for his work. He didn’t have hobbies. My mom tried for years… to get him to just relax and give him something else to do, and that’s not what made him happy. What made him happy was the funeral home. But other than that, it was definitely the grandkids.”

Mickie and his late wife, Mary Kathryn, raised two daughters, Ashley and Katy, and doted on their two granddaughters, Taylor and Lauren. Katy said they would be at her daughters’ every event, no matter how small, and they even learned to drive in their grandfather’s car.

As his health declined due to dementia in recent years, Katy said her father still kept his regular appointments – including a weekly gathering of Gainesville High School alumni – and greeted people with his signature charm.

“He was still driving to work every day up until probably last summer. He went to the funeral home at least for a couple hours every morning,” Katy said. He spent the last few years in Katy’s home, and the family was able to gather by his side in his final days.

Jordan Lounsberry, the business’s general manager, said she will most remember her boss as she saw him out in the community.

“He frequented the restaurants here in town, and that man never met a stranger,” Lounsberry said. “Every single person he met, he left them with a feeling of friendship. He might as well have been the mayor because everywhere I go, people have met Marcus Milam.”

He supported the local arts, regularly visiting the Gainesville Orchestra, the Hippodrome Theatre and the Gainesville Community Playhouse. He was a longtime member of the First United Methodist Church and was involved in many civic organizations, like Rotary and Kiwanis. Katy recalled her dad as a habitual volunteer, with her mom frequently asking, “What are you volunteering for now, Mickey?”

Mickey was born Nov. 1, 1940, in Miami and moved to Gainesville at age 7. He attended Gainesville High School, enlisted in the U.S. Army after graduation, and began his career in the funeral business after discharge. In 1968, he received his funeral director and embalmer’s license and went to work for his father-in-law, Dick Williams, of Williams-Thomas Funeral Home. In 1990, he would purchase the business that now bears his name.

The visitation for Mickey Milam is from 4 to 6 p.m. on Thursday, June 26, at the Milam Funeral Home (311 S. Main St.). The funeral is the following day at 10 a.m. on Friday, June 27, at the First United Methodist Church (419 NE 1^st St.). Overflow parking is available at Williams-Thomas Funeral Home, with shuttles available courtesy of the Williams-Thomas staff. For those unable to attend in person, the services will be livestreamed at milamfh.com/obituaries/marcus-milam.