Charles “Chuck” W Millington, DDS, aged 77 of Edmonds WA, died September 1st 2024 at Swedish Hospital in Edmonds. He succumbed to a cardiac arrest while walking Toby, his bearded collie and close confidante.
Chuck was born to Jeannie Burnaby and William Millington on December 19th 1946 in Washington DC. He was the son of a Brigadier General in the air force division of the Marines and as such lived many different places as a child both in the US and abroad. He was a quiet kid, who became a reserved and private adult, with a small circle of friends and loved ones.
He met the love of his life, Charlotte “Charlie” Alton at Alki Beach when he was just sixteen. A forgotten transistor radio led to a lifelong partnership of over sixty years. Chuck and Charlie overcame many hurdles to become husband and wife and their love was a fundamental part of Chuck’s life.
Chuck attended dental school with the support of Charlie, always behind him supplying the tuition by working at the children’s department at Lamonts in the University Village. They lived with Charlie’s parents until they were able to buy a small house in Montlake and then their primary residence on Capital Hill. Over the years they lived in WA, ME, and NY, before retiring to Edmonds.
Chuck was rightfully proud of his lengthy career in dentistry. He owned a practice on First Hill for many years where he created a loving and caring environment for all. He became an LGBTQ+ ally in the early eighties by providing dentistry to the gay community at a time when others were closing their doors in fear of the AIDS virus. Chuck transitioned from a brick and mortar clinic to provide mobile dentistry to people that were homebound or lacked the mobility to travel for appointments. It was in this aspect of his career that his infinite kindness and patience shone the brightest as he sat and gave comfort to so many people experiencing pain and loneliness.
Chuck was passionate about the environment. He loved nothing more than the opportunity to escape the city and experience nature by hiking, skiing, sailing, scuba diving, and kayaking. It took several years but he built a beautiful wooden kayak meticulously, tiny piece by piece with the precision and accuracy that only a dentist who cared deeply about nature could.
Some people thought of Chuck as “a boy scout,” because he believed in doing what was right regardless of the situation big or small. He always came to the aid of people or other animals in distress, stepped up in situations of injustice, taught his children to be allies of the
disenfranchised, packed out garbage when hiking, and returned his shopping cart to the proper area in the grocery parking lot.
Though a quiet man, he made a huge influence on those he loved and will be remembered by many people who loved him. He is survived by his wife Charlie, daughters Marnie and Mikki, sister Penny, sons-in-law Bill and Jonathan, nephew Dan, granddaughters Zoe and Lucy, and an extensive amount of outdoor gear.