Pressly McAuley Millen Jr.
Pressly McAuley Millen, Jr. of Chapel Hill passed away peacefully on July 21, 2026 at the DuBose Health Center.
Press was born in Charlotte, the son of Pressly and Sara Millen. He was married to Nancy (Gilchrist) Millen, a fellow Charlotte native, for 69 years until her death last year. He is survived by his brother, Donald (Starr) Millen of Atlanta, and his three children, Press Millen (Siobhan) of Raleigh, Pat Millen (Eileen Keeley) of Davidson, and Betsy Leffingwell (Bill) of Rockville, MD. He is also survived by ten grandchildren: Cecily Millen Elizondo (Max), Conor, Aengus, and Maeve Millen, Paddy, Franny, and Sam Millen, and Sara, Emma, and Marty Leffingwell, as well as a great granddaughter, Lucy Elizondo.
Press attended Central High School in Charlotte and graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill in 1955. While at Chapel Hill, he was a member of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity, a connection he maintained for life. After college, he entered the U.S. Air Force as a navigator on transport planes, mostly on the Tacoma-to-Tokyo route. Later, as a Captain in the NC Air National Guard, he would fly in the Berlin Air Lift on the occasional long weekend away from his day job.
After the Air Force, Press and Nancy moved back to Charlotte, then to Conover, and on to New Jersey where Press took a job as a salesman and later sales manager with Federal Paper Board Co. where he worked for nearly 30 years until his retirement, mostly from his home base in Old Saybrook, CT. Press was a true extrovert who could sell anything to anyone. During his time up north, he volunteered as a charity auctioneer and astonished the Connecticut Yankees with his fast patter and ability to always get higher bids.
After retirement, he and Nancy returned to North Carolina, living first in Wilmington, and finally in Chapel Hill for the last 18 years. Press was always highly involved in his church and community, serving as an elder and trustee at various Presbyterian churches along the way. He was also a member of Rotary International at all of his stops and served as both a club president and district governor. He worked as a Red Cross volunteer, running hurricane shelters during his Wilmington stint. Retirement also gave Press and Nancy the chance to scratch the travel itch begun in the Air Force and they traveled together to Europe, Asia, Australia, and Africa, as well as U.S. travel with the Southern Seniors golfers.
Retirement gave Press – known as “Big Dad” to the grandchildren – a chance to spend time with all ten for whom he created numerous impromptu “summer camps.” Grandchildren happily piled into his car – often squeezed together in the front bench seat – hoping the drive might end with a stop for ice cream. If they knew his “secret code,” they were welcomed into Press’s office, where a large world map – covered in pins marking all the countries he had visited – was a source of endless fascination.
During his time at the Cedars of Chapel Hill, Press was the convenor of the well-attended Friday Happy Hours. All who knew Press in this prime will remember him as an ebullient man who loved humor and was keenly interested in the world and in all kinds of people. Even after dementia robbed much from him, the staff who cared for him often remarked on his unfailing politeness and good nature.
His family would like to thank the staff at the DuBose Health Center where Press spent his last years.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests consideration of a gift to E2D, a non-profit founded by one of his grandchildren dedicated to overcoming the digital divide which has distributed over 55,000 computers to students who might otherwise be unable to afford them. https://www.e-2-d.org/
A memorial service will be held at a future date.