Richard "Rich" John MacMillan

Richard “Rich” John MacMillan, age 64, passed away on October 11, 2025, with his family by his side. Rich, along with the support of his family and his loving wife Julie, fought a courageous battle with cancer in his last year of life.

Rich was born in Bay City, Mich., on March 23, 1961, to the late Francis and Angelina MacMillan. Along with his three siblings, Rich grew up in Bangor Township and was a proud graduate of the John Glenn High School class of 1979. While at John Glenn, Rich made lifelong friendships with guys that turned into his sport, hunting, and snowmobiling buddies.

Rich spent his early years working at Monitor Sugar in Bay City and Gerace Construction in Midland, Mich., and then transitioned to Sebewaing Tool and Engineering before discovering his true passion in building trades. Rich spent the last decades of his life as a self-employed property owner and manager where he enjoyed remodeling and managing his properties and talking with and getting to know his tenants. Rich’s building and construction skills were self-taught, and he was meticulous about his work. In addition to maintaining his many rental properties, he could always be found helping friends and family with their construction needs. Given that Rich was never very good at sitting, he was always juggling many projects at the same time and always on the go.

Rich and Julie first met in 1989 at Bay Lanes where they bowled in the same league, and they spent 36 loving years together. They both enjoyed hands-on projects and were always doing something around the house together. They took pride in remodeling their home, never afraid to try something new or figure out a way to get a job done themselves. Together they also had a love for the Tigers, gardening, the outdoors, dogs, and walking their property in Bangor Township. When Rich met and married Julie, he also gained two stepdaughters Rachelle and Renee, who over time became his daughters. Inevitably this led to Rich’s role as “Grandpa Rich” to his five granddaughters Riley, Marin, Lauren, Claire and Carly.

At his core, Rich was a loyal friend and family member who truly valued the simple things in life like family gatherings, the Bay City fireworks, or sitting around a campfire with good company. Rich was a “what you see is what you get” kind of guy who never pretended to be someone he wasn’t. He wore jeans, flannel shirts, and camo baseball caps like nobody’s business and it was a family joke that the granddaughters did not know what grandpa looked like without his camo baseball cap on. Rich’s values ran deep, and if you were fortunate enough to call him a friend or family, you knew he had your back and would show up at the drop of a camo hat.

From a young age Rich discovered his love for the outdoors and hunting while spending time at his favorite place in this world – his family’s property near Lewiston, Michigan. His favorite time of year was the Fall hunting season when he was able to be out in the woods doing what he loved. He truly adored spending time on the family property hunting, driving the Jeep, snowmobiling, walking, planting trees or vegetation for the deer, cutting down trees, or just sitting by a fire with his family and friends.

Rich was preceded in death by his parents, Francis and Angelina MacMillan, and his favorite dogs: Alex, Sadie, and Ruby. He is survived by his wife, Julie MacMillan; his daughters, Rachelle Schikorra (Matt Ninke) of Midland, Mich., and Renee (Ken) Arnold of Essexville, Mich.; and his five granddaughters: Riley and Lauren Schikorra, and Marin, Claire, and Carly Arnold. He is also survived by his three siblings: Dr. Maureen O’Malley of Denver, Colo.; Michael (Becky) MacMillan; and Francis (Deborah) MacMillan, both of Bay City, Mich.; as well as many nieces and nephews.

The family would like to thank the Rogel Cancer Center at the University of Michigan, The START Midwest Center for Cancer Research in Grand Rapids, and the MyMichigan Health Hospice Care who all helped Rich’s family care for him in his final year and final days.

At the request of Rich, cremation has taken place and a Memorial Service will take place at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, October 20, 2025 at Gephart Funeral Home (201 W. Midland St. Bay City, MI 48706). Private Entombment will take place at St. Patrick Cemetery Columbarium. Friends may visit with the family on Monday, October 20, 2025 from 3:00 p.m. until the time of service at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, please send donations in memory of Rich to The American Cancer Society or the Humane Society of Bay County.