Necrology

Robert Edward Milkey '51

Jul. 12, 1928-Aug. 7, 2022

Robert Edward Milkey ’51 died on Aug. 7, 2022, in Bonita Springs, Fla. Born on July 12, 1928, in Montague City, Mass., Bob grew up in nearby Turners Falls. He came to Hamilton from Turners Falls High School.

On the Hill, Bob majored in history and economics and joined Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity. He also played football for four seasons until a serious knee injury in his last year ended his career on the gridiron. At the end of his first year, Bob was selected for membership in the Doers & Thinkers honor society. 

After graduation Bob moved to Philadelphia and briefly worked in the insurance business. In 1952, he contracted tuberculosis and was confined to a hospital for a year. During his convalescence, he decided to pursue a master of business administration and later enrolled at the University of Massachusetts/Amherst. Completing his degree in finance in 1955, he went to work for the Vick Corp. in New York City while residing in North Tarrytown, N.Y. On July 7, 1956, he married Sue Nan Heubisch in Greenfield, Mass. They had two sons. 

In 1958, he joined the financial department of the St. Regis Paper Co., paper and forest product manufacturers, in New York City. Three years later, Bob and his family relocated to Mount Kisco, N.Y., which was their home for 54 years. At St. Regis, Bob rose to vice president for administration in 1975, a role he held for 10 years. He became president in 1985 of the Drum Financial Corp., a subsidiary of St. Regis, and retired the following year. 

While living in Mount Kisco, the family joined the First Congregational Church in nearby Chappaqua. Bob, who sang baritone, joined that church’s choir and, later, the Westchester Singers. After purchasing a second home in Bonita Springs in the late 1980s, Bob joined a church choir there as well.

Bob developed a great interest in golf after joining Mount Kisco Country Club in 1961. When he and Sue Nan relocated permanently to Bonita Springs in 2015, he also played at the Bonita Bay and Seaview country clubs. 

Bob placed great value on the communication skills he honed on the Hill. As he observed in his 50th reunion yearbook: “Hamilton taught me the value of diligent effort on the playing field, in the classroom, in the family, and in business; honest effort made [me] a better man.” He repaid the College for those lessons as a volunteer for two capital campaigns and as a class committee member.

Robert E. Milkey was predeceased by his wife, who died in 2019. He is survived by two sons and his first cousin, James A. Schoff ’68, P’94.

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