Obituary of Leonard McMillan

Leonard Ernest Nelson McMillan "Big Lenny" Len passed away peacefully at the HSC with his family by his side on September 20, 2010. Len was born on December 1, 1950, the oldest of 3 children for Bill and Heidi McMillan. His first real job was a garbage collector for the City of Winnipeg, which began his quest for finding treasures in various places, which continued throughout his life. He proudly scrounged many an item through the years including several that he too had no use for, but he always had one of whatever anyone needed. His distaste for buying "retail" resulted in years of searching through garage sales and finally auctions, where his highest bid rarely went over $10. He has amassed a small fortunate in brass, which he jokingly referred to as the family fortune. He was hired as a Constable for the St. James Police Department in 1973 and retired as a Detective Sergeant from the WPS in July 1999. He enjoyed meeting people while working the Report car, the friends he made while in Intelligence and loved sharing stories about his many partners and "brothers." He will be lovingly missed by his wife, best friend and love of his life Marlene, daughter Lisa and "son in law" Roman. Also left to mourn his loss is his sister Kathleen, his Uncle Len, his special nieces and nephews, extended family and life-long friends Jim, Ronnie, Bernie and Bill. Deeply affected by his absence are Bailey and Lexi who always knew who the softie was for treats. Also left to feel his loss is his lake family who became more than friends through the years. The lake was a magical place for Len where he and his Dad spent many a day planning and building his dream cabin. It was fitting that Len's last weekend before being hospitalized was spent in the place he loved the most. Len was a great story teller who would keep his audience entertained throughout their visit. He was quick to laugh and make others laugh either with a joke, story or just being silly. He was also a prankster and loved a good joke, unless the joke was on him. He made people feel special and safe. Len was a man of great strength both physically and mentally who was always a rock and in the final months had great difficulty coming to terms with his failing health. Len's greatest passion was building and fixing things. He was never afraid to try something new and although he was a great starter, finishing tended to run into multiple delays. Bigger was always better for Len, whether it was tools, vehicles or construction projects. He bought or built everything to last. Although Len was friendly to everyone, he was very select in his friendships. To be a friend or brother, you had to be special. Through the years, he made many friends of all ages and cherished those relationships. He was a great host whose goal was to ensure his guests felt welcomed in his home. He loved celebrating the holidays, including decorating, preparing and eating the meals, and time with family. To everyone that visited Len in the hospital, sent their thoughts and prayers, or helped us out in the past few months in countless ways, please know your efforts had a profound effect on all of us. Danae, your visits with Uncle Len meant very much to him. The family would also like to thank the Winnipeg Police Association for their support and thoughtfulness during this difficult time. Len received phenomenal care at the HSC on each occasion he was there. The staff in Emergency, on the 7th floor, in ICU and finally on GD-4 helped all of us throughout the last several months. To the multiple physicians, residents, nurses and healthcare aids, your compassion, dedication, patience, and professionalism was greatly appreciated and will never be forgotten. Even before he became ill, Len always said healthcare professionals are the heroes deserving of praise from the public, not athletes or celebrities and he was right. Len exemplifies the term "A life well spent" although it was too short. Cremation has taken place and a celebration of Len's life will be held at Cropo Funeral Chapel, 1442 Main St. on Monday, September 27th, 2010 at 2:00 pm. A private interment will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that friends, who wish, make a donation to a no kill shelter or the Health Sciences Centre Foundation in Len's memory.