Clifford K. “Cliff” Van Mill

Van Mill, Clifford Kenton "Cliff", of St. Peters, Missouri, died on Friday, March 23, 2012 at the age of 90. Loving husband of Lorraine Van Mill; beloved son of the late Arnold and Vivian Van Mill; devoted father of David (Sandy) Van Mill, Karen (Phil) Stangler, Sandra (Jim) Hilke and Bonnie (Dan) Hoffman; cherished grandfather of 7; treasured great-grandfather of 3; dear brother of LaVerne Dooley; dear half-brother of Gerald (Margo) and Karl (Debbie) Van Mill. Memorials may be made to: Macular Degeneration Foundation, Inc. P.O. Box 531313 Henderson, NV. 89053 You can contact the them by phone at 1-888-633-3937 or by email on the web at www.eyesight.org/Donations/donations.html Cliff was born in St. Louis Missouri. When Cliff was 8, and his sister LaVerne was 9, they were known as "The Whirling Van Mills". They were the world's youngest Loop-the-Loop Swing performers and did acrobatic stunts. They performed for 3 years at Carnivals, Picnics, Parades, and downtown at Fraternal and Business Booster events. Cliff graduated from Normandy High School in 1939, where he was on the basketball, track & football teams. Cliff is a US Army Veteran and served in WWII. Military Service - August 23, 1943, Jefferson Barracks, St. Louis, Missouri US Army, Corp of Engineers, World War II, Vehicle Mechanic, served in England, France, Luxembourg & Germany. Honorably Discharged March 21, 1946. In September 2009 Cliff went on the Honor Flight to Washington D. C. to see the WWII Memorial. Cliff married Lorraine Lawson, his high school sweetheart, September 18, 1948. They were married almost 64 years. Cliff was a carpenter for 63 years and belonged to the Carpenters Union Local 417. He redesigned some house plans to add more storage and built the house at 8117 Nola in St. Louis where the family lived for 53 years. Cliff was one of the founders of the Wheaton-Cook-Lyndhurst Street Light District on April 17, 1964. He served on the board for over 40 years as organizer, creator and board member. Buzz Westfall, County Executive, St. Louis County, MO proclaimed Tuesday, September 23, 2003 as "Cliff VanMill Day." Cliff's hobbies included tinkering with lawnmowers and working puzzles. He was the world's best handy man, and was always in his workshop making or repairing something. He loved working on his metal lathe. Cliff is the Grandfather of 7 Stefani Stangler-Smith (husband Shane), Gordon Stangler, Bridget Stangler, Megan Hoffman, Brian Hoffman, Kenton Hilke & Kelsey Hoffman. Cliff is the Great-Grandfather of 3, Lucas, Bailey & Cody Smith.