In memoriam: Grant Milliron

Grant E. Milliron, the founder of Milliron Recycling in Mansfield, Ohio, died Wednesday, July 26, at the age of 88 from heart failure. He was preceded in death by his wife, Mary, and his son Mark.

Visitors are welcome Aug. 2 from 2 p.m. to 8 pm at Shelby High School, 1 Whippet Way, Shelby, Ohio, where Milliron will lie in honor in the school rotunda, which he was instrumental in designing when the school was being built, according to his obituary. Those visiting are asked to please enter through the Athletic Entrance, the easternmost entrance of the building. Funeral services will be private with immediate family at the Penwell Turner Funeral Home in Shelby. Rev. Steven L. Schag, the mayor of Shelby, will officiate.

In lieu of flowers, contributions in the memory of Grant and Mary Milliron can be made to the Shelby Foundation at 142 N. Gamble St., Shelby, Ohio 44875 or via www.TheShelbyFoundation.org/donate or to the Richland County Foundation, 181 S. Main St., Mansfield, Ohio, 44902 or via www.RichlandCountyFoundation.org/donate.

When profiled by Recycling Today in late 2018, Milliron said he didn’t believe in luck, only blessings, but from the remembrances left on the Penwell Turner Funeral Home website, Milliron was a blessing to his community:

“Grant was a special person and did more for Shelby than many will ever realize. I was blessed to know him and always admired his humility and kindness.”

“A hero to the community for as long as I can remember.”

“What a glorious life Mr. Milliron lived. It is quite a blessing to all around him that he shared his wealth to aid others.”

“My first thought of Grant has always been kindness. I am truly honored and blessed to have known him over the years and I will do my best to follow his example of serving others and paying it forward.”

“An amazing man and a great loss for his family, friends and our community.”

In 2005, Milliron was named Conservationist of the Year by Richland County Soil & Water Conservation Division for upgrades he’d made at his 42-acre scrap yard, including two large ponds, the largest of which he added when the company installed its auto shredder in 2004. Twenty-foot-high, grass-covered earth mounds provide sound dampening and enhance the site’s aesthetics. Trees and wetlands also contribute to the site’s appeal. Milliron lived just 1,100 feet from the site’s shredder.

He was born Feb. 28, 1935, in Mansfield, and started working at the age of 12 to help support his family, according to his obituary.

Milliron graduated from Madison High School in 1953 and married his high school sweetheart, Mary Nell Yates. They remained married for 67 years until her death in 2021. He was a determined and competitive athlete in school, participating in football, basketball and track. Milliron was a good student who liked chemistry but could not afford to go to college to study chemical engineering and instead took a job at the local steel mill.

In 1954, he and his father opened a salvage yard with a business plan written out on one piece of paper and $1,000. The company grew organically until 1974, when the energy crisis changed the dynamics of that business “overnight,” Milliron told Recycling Today in 2018, as people reduced their driving habits and motor sales dwindled.

With automobile sales declining in the mid-1970s, Milliron knew he needed to diversify and bought a 60-foot scale, a shear and a hydraulic baler to enter the scrap business.

In 2000, he decided to add an automobile shredder to his yard. It would take the company two-and-a-half years to obtain the air permit it needed for the shredder, and then Milliron would have to overcome zoning issues, which meant the shredder was not up and running until 2004.

Milliron worked at the yard until the age of 87, when he sold the company to Australia-based steel producer BlueScope for about $80 million to provide supply surety for a large portion of the ferrous infeed material for its North Star minimill in Delta, Ohio.

According to his obituary, Milliron felt very blessed by God and was compelled to share his blessings with his community and those around the world. He built a school for Haitian children in LeCaye, Haiti, and supported Shelby High School, which his children attended. He also built a fire station in Shelby and supported The Friendly House children’s activity center in Mansfield and the children at the Richland County Fair by purchasing their animals. “He has done so many good deeds, there’s too many to list, and he did them all with a genuine, loving and humble heart,” his obituary reads.

“He lived a quiet and humble life, and he was genuine in every way,” the obituary continues. “Hard work, determination, generosity and, most of all, his walk with God made Grant a devoted husband, father, successful businessman and compassionate philanthropist.”

He is survived by his children, Cyndy Hursh, Steve and Karen Kleer, JR and Teresa Milliron, Jeff and Marsha DeVito, Karl and Jill Milliron and Ken and Kate Hlad; 10 grandchildren; 14 great-grandchildren; and two great-great-grandchildren.