
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, January 21, 1994                   TAG: 9401210187
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: B-3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: SANDRA BROWN KELLY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

HERBERT MILAN, TOBACCONIST, DIES

In recent months, the three men who ran Milan Bros. tobacco shop in Roanoke began to look forward to retirement. They had decided to sell the shop their father opened in 1912 and had found a buyer.

Wednesday evening, Herbert Milan helped close the store early because of bad weather, then checked with his niece and co-worker, Elaine Milan Cronk, to be sure she had reached home safely. Thursday morning, Milan died in his sleep.

The Milan brothers - Herbert, Joe and Ellis - each played a unique role in their partnership. Joe Milan, 71, liked to meet the public. Ellis Milan kept the books and handled the money. Herbert, at 68 the youngest of the brothers, was "Mr. Fixit," a whiz with things mechanical.

He repaired clocks and watches and the like, but electric razors were his specialty.

"There were people who brought their razors to Herby to fix when they came to Roanoke on vacation," said Dennis Cronk, Joe Milan's son-in-law for 14 years.

Cronk, a commercial real estate broker who had been handling the sale of the business, said the "boys" had promised to stay around for a while to help the buyer from Florida get settled.

Cronk said the decision to sell the shop had been hard on the men, but that they "were looking forward to retirement."

Joe Milan recently said that keeping the shop open was getting harder for him and his brothers.

Herbert Milan is survived by his wife, Mary H. Milan; a son, Mike Secrist; a grandson, Steven Secrist. In addition to Ellis and Joe Milan, he is survived by brothers Richard J. Milan Sr., a retired dentist who lives in Roanoke and helped in the shop, and George J. Milan and Thomas M. Milan, of California; and a sister, Louise M. Nassir, also of California.

The funeral will be at 4 p.m. Sunday at Oakey's South Chapel. Interment will be private, with a memorial liturgy held later. The family will receive friends at Oakey's from 2 to 4 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. Sunday.

The family requests that instead of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Our Lady of Nazareth Catholic Church Debt Fund or the Cave Spring First Aid and Rescue Squad.

by CNB