Wallace B. Millner III, known to everyone as simply B, gave much to his family, friends, and community. Everything he did, he did intentionally and exceptionally well. He was known for his calmness, the spark in his eye, and his warm smile. B died on March 31, 2026, age 86, at home after battling leukemia. He will be greatly missed.
He was predeceased by his parents, Wallace B. and Virginia Reed Millner; and his wife of 46 years, Nancy Bost Millner. He is survived by his wife of nearly 17 years, Elizabeth “Tina” Burke Millner. He liked to say that his two greatest accomplishments in life were to persuade two amazing women to marry him — fortunately not at the same time.
He is also survived by two sons, Wallace Michael Millner (Jill Forney) and Christopher Bost Millner (Toni); two stepsons, Gordon Lewis (Jami) and Burke Lewis (Leigh); and two sisters, Virginia “Ginger” Kemp (the late Francis B.) and Ann Harrell (Bryant). B and Tina have ten grandchildren — Reed, Griff, Quinn, and Beckett Millner; and Madeline, Emma, Charlie, Ryan, Reade, and Callie Lewis — as well as four step-grandchildren — Jackson, Clio, Colby, and Fisher Gates.
B had many diverse interests — business, art, travel, community, sports, and, for thirty years, a monthly meeting with his friends to discuss their dreams. His childhood was in many ways unique. Born in North Carolina in 1939, he spent many of his early years in Izmir, Turkey, where his father was in the tobacco business. He returned to Concord, NC, to enter the sixth grade and live with his grandmother, Mary Virginia Reed, while his parents remained in Turkey. B went on to Davidson College, where he was editor of the weekly student newspaper, The Davidsonian.
In 1962-1964, he was on active duty as a lieutenant in the U.S. Army, stationed near Ankara, Turkey. (His favorite Army story recalled his bartering Army blankets for camel rides for local children on the 4th of July.) He was awarded the Army Commendation Medal.
Though he once considered a career in journalism, B ultimately followed a path in business, earning his Master of Business Administration from the University of North Carolina. This decision led to a long and impactful career in investments and finance. In 1997, he became Vice Chairman of Signet Bank, and, among his many contributions, played a pivotal role in the spin-off of Signet’s credit card business, which became Capital One Financial Corporation.
He also believed deeply in giving back to his profession and supporting others in it. He served as president of the Richmond Society of Financial Analysts and contributed his time and expertise as a director of the Financial Analysts Federation and the Association of Investment Management and Research. He was also a member of the Bankers Roundtable. Even after his retirement from Signet, B served as a founding director of MCG Capital Corporation in Arlington, Virginia, offering guidance and insight drawn from decades of experience.
B sat on numerous non-profit boards, including the United Way, Family and Children’s Services (now Family Lifeline), and the Chrysalis Group (which became the Innerwork Center). He was Chairman and a Life Member of the Davidson College Board of Visitors and a member of the Board of Trustees. He received the Davidson Alumni Service Award at his 50th reunion. Active in the arts community, he was president of the Richmond Symphony, Chairman of the Richmond Symphony Foundation, and a director of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Foundation, 1708 Gallery, and the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts.
Upon retiring from business, B began a second career, a calling he followed for the rest of his life. He started making bronze sculptures — frequently of exactly rendered birds, beetles, and other wildlife. He also painted cityscapes and landscapes, forgotten buildings and shadowy interiors, with a photorealistic precision. He captured fog and grittiness in a special light. When asked why so many of his streetscapes include manhole covers, he replied: “Because most streets have manholes.”
Some of his sculptures were whimsical — a man pushing an elephant up a set of stairs — and some transcendent — a beautiful dancer ascending toward the sky. Such images may have come from his dreams. In monthly meetings for many years, B and a close group of friends met to talk through their dreams — sharing them and opening them up to discussion. These discussions were a way of thinking with others about life and trying to better understand it.
B exhibited his art in Richmond and galleries from Maine to Mississippi, from the British West Indies to New York City. His sculpture was selected for several juried national exhibitions, including the National Sculpture Society Awards Exhibition. His work is held in numerous private, corporate, and institutional collections.
B loved sports and was an active tennis player into his eighties. He won the City of Richmond senior singles championship in his age group and held a high state ranking in the seniors for a number of years.
He treasured family time, and he and Tina tried to bring the whole group together at least once a year, usually at Squam Lake, NH, and often at Christmas. The Millner side kept alive a Christmas dinner tradition that started with B’s parents, and then rotated among B, Ginger, and Ann. B also took twenty family members on unforgettable trips to Kenya and Iceland. He loved summers on Bailey Island, Maine, where he had built a home on Casco Bay. He said that was where “his soul caught up with him.”
A celebration of B’s life will be held Friday, May 15, 2:30 p.m., at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, 12291 River Rd., Richmond, VA. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to the Denham-Millner Fund for Africana Studies at Davidson College, 209 Ridge Rd, Box 5000, Davidson, NC 28035, www.davidson.edu/makeagift ; or to UVA Health (Research for Lymphoma and Leukemia), PO Box 37963, Boone, Iowa 50037 (Memo line: Fund 05487 IMO B Millner).