Marine veteran Milo Cumpston holds a portrait of him with his grandson, Travis, on May 23 at his apartment in Fayetteville. The World War II veteran passed away Thursday morning.
Photo by Brooke McNeely, Northwest Arkansas Time

Social Security Death Index
about Milo J. Cumpston
Name: Milo J. Cumpston
SSN: 444-16-0669
Last Residence: 72703 Fayetteville, Washington, Arkansas
Born: 10 Aug 1922
Died: 9 Apr 2009
State (Year) SSN issued: Oklahoma (Before 1951)
 

New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957

Name: Milo J Cumpston
Arrival Date: 21 Jun 1952
Port of Arrival: New York, New York
Line: 1
Microfilm Serial: T715
Microfilm Roll: T715_8165
Page Number: 53
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New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957
Name: Milo J Cumpston
Arrival Date: 31 Oct 1949
Port of Departure: Dhahran, Saudi Arabia Ethnicity/Race­/ Nationality: American
Port of Arrival: Rome, Italy
Line: 6 Microfilm Serial: T715
Microfilm Roll: T715_7754
Page Number: 289
Source Citation: Year: 1949; Microfilm serial: T715; Microfilm roll: T715_7754; Line: 6;
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New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957
Name: Milo J Cumpston
Arrival Date: 12 Nov 1949
Port of Departure: Paris, France Port of Arrival: New York, New York NATIVITY: Oklahoma Line: 13
Microfilm Serial: T715
Microfilm Roll: T715_7759
Birth Location: Oklahoma
Page Number: 230
 Source Citation: Year: 1949; Microfilm serial: T715; Microfilm roll: T715_7759; Line: 13;
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1992 U.S. Public Records Index
Name: Milo James Cumpston
Address: 1870 N Cn, Elkins, Arkansas 72727-0201 (1992)
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1993 U.S. Public Records Index
Name: Milo J Cumpston
Birth Date: Aug 1922
Phone Number: 442-6078
Address: 1949 Bois D Arc, Fayetteville, Arkansas 72703-0701 (1993)
[802 Airport Rd, Summers, Arkansas 72769-0601 (1983)]
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2001 U.S. Phone and Address Directories, 1993-2002
Name: Milo Cumpston
Address: 1923 E Joyce Blvd Apt 219 City: Fayetteville
State: Arkansas Zip Code: 72703-5398 Phone Number: 501-442-6084
Residence Years: 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001
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2002 U.S. Phone and Address Directories, 1993-2002
Name: Milo Cumpston
Address: 1923 E Joyce Blvd
City: Fayetteville State: Arkansas Zip Code: 72703-5398 Phone Number: 479-442-6084 Residence Years: 2002
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THERE IS A FURTHER ENTRY FOR AN OLDER MILO CUMPSTON. WAS HE A RELATIVE?

New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957

Name: Milo Cumpston
Arrival Date: 18 May 1857
Port of Departure: Amsterdam, Netherlands
Port of Arrival: New York International Airport, New York, New York
Line: 20
Microfilm Serial: T715
Microfilm Roll: T715_8874
Page Number: 277
 Source Citation: Year: 1957; Microfilm serial: T715; Microfilm roll: T715_8874; Line: 20;

If you are a facebook member you can see more comments and stories about Milo at

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Milo J. Cumpston, 86, of Fayetteville died Thursday, April 9, 2009, at his home.

He was born Aug. 10, 1922, in Dewey, Okla., to Furman Montgomery and Hazel Furman Cumpston. He was an employee of the Arabian American Oil Company from 1947-80. He was a member of Milo 938 Masonic Lodge, American Legion VFW, Sons of the American Revolution and St. Paul's Episcopal Church. He was a founding member of the Regional National Cemetery Improvement Corp. and an Eagle Scout. He was a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, serving in C Company, 28th Regiment, during the Battle of Iwo Jima during World War II.

He is survived by his wife of 54 years, Norma Cumpston; three sons, James Cumpston and John Cumpston, both of Fayetteville, and Jeffrey T. Cumpston and his wife, Tricia, of Wesley; and five grandchildren, Daisy, Kyle, Sarah and Miles Cumpston and Cpl. Travis McKenna.

Services will be at noon Wednesday at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Fayetteville with the Rev. Lowell Grisham officiating. Burial will be in Fayetteville National Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorials be made to Regional National Cemetery Improvement Corp., c/o Harold Crivello, 5 Scottsdale Place, Bella Vista, AR 72715.

The online guest book at www.mooresfuneralchapel.com. includes the following:
Victor Cane said on 16 Apr 2009 @ 2:04 PM...
Milo was a community person. He was avaliable and commited to the community. Fortunately he was supported by his wife, Norma in his endevors. He taught a bunch of us junior high kids in 1975/1976 to scuba dive in Ras Tanura at no cost but we had to get a short haircut to participate in the course. There were some guys who did not cut their hair short as the Beatles were setting the norm at the time and Milo had negative thoughts about long hair. The course was very physical i.e. a lot of swimming and water polo against the long hairs left in town. Great man and, sorry to have him check out.
To Norma, Jim, John, and Jeffrey I offer my and my MOM'S condoleces. Your Husband/ Dad was a dynamic and go getum guy. He will certainitly be missed by many Aramcons
Frank Fugate said on 17 Apr 2009 @ 10:43 AM...
Some of my most memorable days are when I was Supt of Dhahran Maintenance Shops and Milo was my Shops Coordinator. We were a great team. We were both still living in Ras Tanura and commuting together. Those were great trips. Milo was a doer. When I was heading up the Master Gas Program we were having problems getting the Construction Camps built. I managed to get Milo over to Project Management to help get them moving because I knew he would kick-ass. He got things moving as I predicted. For those who do not understand Aramco’s materials policies they maintained a minimum stock in some items for emergencies. It took special approval to draw this material from the Storehouse. One day I got a call from an Order-man that MR Cumpston was requesting material that was minimum stock and he said you approved it. I told him if MR Cumpston said I approved it – I approved it. One of my greatest compliments of many I gave Milo was when I said, “Sometimes you have to pull Milo back, but you never have to push him.” Milo stood tall in my book. Mary and my heart go out to Norma and his family and say farewell to a good man….
William Preston Lamp said on 17 Apr 2009 @ 10:59 AM...
When I arrived in Abqaiq in 1973, it didn't take me long to become acquainted with Milo. He was a valuable contact because he knew Abqaiq Plants so well, but I didn't know Milo well enough to know much about his many accomplishments. I can remember being inside his house only once--a not-very-fancy house north of the Abqaiq dining hall on 14th (I think) St.--and being astonished to see a Steinway grand piano in his living room. I remember his telling me about his first trip to Abqaiq, driving from Ras Tanura. There was only a sand track down to Abqaiq, marked with oil drums. It was such a pleasure to have known Milo.

S. Lee Biggerstaff said on 20 Apr 2009 @ 5:46 PM...
All who knew Milo will remember him. My condolences to the Cumpston family.

http://www.aramcoexpats.com/Articles/Community/Announcements/Obituaries/3893.aspx

Milo Cumpston, 86, who served on Iwo Jima, Japan, as a sergeant in the U.S. Marine Corps and who spent much of the last several years ensuring there will be enough room for veterans to be buried in the Fayetteville National Cemetery, died Thursday morning at his home in Butterfield Trail Village.

Marine veteran Milo Cumpston holds a portrait of him with his grandson, Travis, on May 23 at his apartment in Fayetteville. The World War II veteran passed away Thursday morning.
Photo by Brooke McNeely, Northwest Arkansas Times
He is to be buried in the Fayetteville National Cemetery with full honors.
When asked about Cumpston as a father, Jeff Cumpston said, "He was a very attentive father."

The brothers on Thursday were reading some large index cards with instructions from their father on how the three of them were to conduct themselves before a trip with their mother.

"It's some fatherly advice. He wrote it on four large index cards," Jeff Cumpston said.
Some of the advice included to treat their mother like a queen, think ahead, stand when a lady enters, shake hands with a firm grip and "don't be afraid to show your emotions."

"He wanted to make sure that we held ourselves right and did right by our mother," Jeff Cumpston said.

"He always celebrated their wedding anniversary monthly," he said. "That's the kind of esteem he held for their marriage and in my mom." The two were married for 54 years.

In addition to serving on Iwo Jima, Cumpston served in Pusan, Korea. During an interview last year, Cumpston talked about his time in the U.S. Marine Corps and said "once a Marine, always a Marine." His allegiance to the Marine Corps and veterans was a major part of his life's work. He was a charter member of the Northwest Arkansas Marine Corps League.

"I think around here the thing he would be most well known for was his work with the national cemetery," Jeff Cumpston said. He was a charter member of the Regional National Cemetery Improvement Corp., which was organized to aid in the expansion of the Fayetteville National Cemetery. The mission of the group is to secure land adjacent to the national cemetery and deed the land to the cemetery to ensure the it can continue to receive veterans for burial.

Cumpston was one of the founders of the organization about 20 years ago. He served as vice president all of that time and was serving in that capacity when he died.

Prior to his military involvement during World War II, Cumpston graduated from Dewey High School. One of his civilian jobs prior to joining the Marines was as an iron worker. He was a member of that union. After the war, he eventually got a job with Arabian American Oil Co., going to work in Saudi Arabia, where he met Norma, who was teaching children of American employees there. He spent 34 years in Saudi Arabia. The family bought a house on Bois de Arc Lane in Fayetteville and lived there for several years before moving to Butterfield Trail Village.

When he was interviewed about Iwo Jima, he said that the heroes "are the ones we left behind."

"Milo was well-loved here," said Bruce Schaffer, cemetery work leader at the Fayetteville National Cemetery. Schaffer said there was definitely a somber mood at the cemetery Thursday. He talked of Cumpston's work with the Regional National Cemetery Improvement Corp. "Of course, his mission was to see us get land and, fortunately, we had just gotten some new property turned over to us right before he passed away," Schaffer said. "He would have liked to see this whole thing through," he said of the future expansion plans. "He at least knew that that was going to extend the life of the cemetery property north of the cemetery." Much expansion already had been done, largely due to Cumpston's and the corporation's efforts. "When I started here in 1989, we were down to 16 grave sites," Schaffer said. "Through their efforts, it doubled the size of the cemetery. "That was his main focus. You wouldn't believe the time that he gave to ensuring that veterans didn't have to go outside of Fayetteville to be interred." Schaffer said Cumpston "was like a father figure."

Roger McClain, of Springdale, president of the Regional National Cemetery Improvement Corp., said he had known Cumpston for almost 20 years. "Milo was a dedicated person, and he worked tirelessly for the RNCIC to try to get donations where we could buy land and deed it over to the government," McClain said. He called Cumpston the "backbone of this organization."

McClain said that when he was elected president of the organization, he and Cumpston had an agreement: Cumpston told him he would do all of the legwork for McClain "because that's what kept him going. He enjoyed that. He got to get out and meet people. I would say he just lived and breathed it, and he will be missed."

Originally printed on Friday, April 10, 2009. Northwest Arkansas Times.