Richmond will say goodbye to a respected businessman, philanthropist and Order of British Columbia recipient Friday, July 22.
Milan Ilich, who was well known for his charity, died June 29 at the age of 76 after a 14-month battle with acute leukemia.
The self-made millionaire, who shunned the limelight, is being remembered throughout Richmond for his various community causes.
"On behalf of the Richmond Hospital Foundation, we would like to pass on our condolences to the Ilich family during this difficult time," said Bill Jaffe, chair, the Richmond Hospital Foundation. "Milan's dedication to the community, philanthropic efforts and general willingness to help others will be missed by everyone who had the pleasure of meeting him."
The Milan & Maureen Ilich Foundation supported the Richmond Hospital Foundation for many years. His donations were instrumental in the hospital purchasing its first MRI and CT scanner. In honour of Milan and Maureen Ilich, the medical imaging centre was later named after them.
Ilich was involved in many endeavours, including establishing, with his wife Maureen, a Canada research chair in multiple sclerosis, keeping professional soccer in Metro Vancouver as owner of the Vancouver 86ers, and serving on the planning committee for the 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Born on Aug. 19, 1934 to a working class family in the northwest B.C. coastal mining town of Anyox, Ilich's father moved his young family to Richmond for a job as a ditch cleaner. Milan Ilich was one year old.
Ilich, who dropped out of high school in Grade 12, took a job pumping gas before taking a job as a dump truck driver. Driving that truck became his ticket to the construction business.
He began Progressive Construction, a paving company, with his wife Maureen. Progressive Construction went on to pave nearly every road in Richmond, as well as many of its subdivisions.
Over the ensuing years, Ilich became the city's most successful developer. Former Liberal MLA Richmond Centre Olga Ilich met Milan Ilich when he hired her at Progressive in 1980.
"Milan was a very astute businessman who taught me how to do business," said Olga Ilich, who was once married to Milan's younger brother Bob. "I couldn't have asked for a better mentor ... anyone could do a business deal with Milan on a handshake."
He went on to make Olga Ilich his executive vice president. "When I started my company (Suncor Developments), we did many deals as partners.
"He will be very much missed, there is no one like him," she added.
Although few would dispute Ilich's generosity as a philanthropist, some have questioned whether all his developments have been in the best interest of Richmond.
Developing Terra Nova, for example, was extremely divisive and earned him a few enemies who argued that the land should have been maintained for agricultural use.
The controversy spawned the Save Richmond's Farmlands Society, which fought with Ilich in the courts more than once.
But once the development received the green light, Ilich was amenable to council's request for childcare and affordable housing to also be built in the Terra Nova community, Steves noted in an interview.
Ilich leaves behind his wife Maureen, daughter Laurie and son Rick and their spouses, five grandchildren and seven siblings. A celebration of Ilich's life will be held on Friday, July 22 at 1:30 p.m. at the Richmond Funeral Home, 8420 Cambie Rd.
With files from Postmedia News
