Obituary: Milla, Etter John
Age 88
He was born to Bennardino and Franceschina of Grimaldi, Calabria, Italy.
Etter passed away April 11, 2013 surrounded by his loving wife and family.
He attended Cooper Elementary and graduated from Gonzaga High School in 1942.
Etter served in the U.S. Army in 1943 and was honorably discharged in 1946.
He landed in Liverpool, England, participated in the Normandy Invasion, Battle of the Bulge and the surrender of Germany.
After returning to Spokane, he met the love of his life Patricia Lyonnais in 1948, whom he was married to for 62 wonderful years.
Together they had seven children, five girls and two boys.
Etter began work at McClintock Trunkey unloading boxcars.
He was eventually promoted to the IBM department where he began his career in data processing.
He worked at Kaiser Trentwood and retired from Washington Water Power in 1990.
Etter always stated his top priorities in life were “in this order:” God, family, and friends.
He always put everyone else before himself.
He was a member of St. John Vianney Catholic Church for 53 years, where he was head chef at the annual Spaghetti Dinner.
Etter was very proud of his Italian heritage and carried on traditions such as Christmas Eve spaghetti feasts, annual sausage making, and olive canning.
He was a member of the American Italian Club, The Knights of Columbus and the Gonzaga Lunch Bunch.
Etter is survived by his loving wife, Pat Milla, children; John Milla, Carolann Andrews, Eileen Milla (Dave Caler), Francesca Milla, Jerry Milla (Jackie), Mary Sherrill (Ken), Theresa Briggs (Dave), 13 grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren, two sisters; Mary Milla and Helen Fillingim, and numerous nieces and nephews.
Etter was preceded in death by his parents and two sisters: Elda (Glen) Wheeler and Edith (Bud) Haggerty.
Etter will be incredibly missed by all.
He touched the hearts of all who knew and loved him.
The family would like to thank the Valley General Hospital staff that went above and beyond to make Etter and his family comfortable during his last days.
A vigil service will be held at Hennessey Smith Funeral Home, 2203 N. Division on Thursday, April 18 at 7:00PM.
Visitation begins at 12:00PM.
A mass of Christian burial will be celebrated on Friday, April 19 at St. John Vianney Catholic Church, 503 N. Walnut Rd., Spokane Valley at 11:00AM followed by a social gathering.
Interment will be held at Holy Cross Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. John Vianney Catholic Church or the Honor Flight Organization for US Military Veterans.