Milton Amiger Washington of Pittsburgh died on Saturday, Oct. 22. He was one of Pittsburgh’s leading businessmen and enjoyed a home on the Vineyard for more than 30 years.

He was born Sept. 24, 1935, in Philadelphia, to Eleanor Amiger Washington and Milton Washington. His father was a senior official of the Christian Street YMCA, the first black YMCA in the country, and his mother was a social worker. Their only child, Milt, graduated from Northeast High School and attended Howard University, then transferred to La Salle University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration in 1958. He later became a generous donor to La Salle, supporting scholarships for students.

Milt was introduced to Nancy Duckrey by a mutual friend in 1959. It was love at first sight and they married in 1960. Mr. Washington earned an MBA degree at Temple University and served in the Army Reserve Corps. When he worked as a project manager for the Philadelphia Housing Authority, serving the affordable housing needs of people of modest means, he began a career that endured for the rest of his life.

Milt and Nancy moved to Pittsburgh in 1968. As vice president of Allegheny Rehabilitation Housing Corporation (AHRCO), Milt was committed to building safe and economically viable communities with sound infrastructure and affordable quality housing.

He also owned a number of other successful businesses, including SSM Industries, Beacon Construction, Keystone Minority Capital, Twin Mills Timber & Tie Co. and Temple Maintenance. Together these established him as the leader of one of the largest black-owned entrepreneurial enterprises in Pennsylvania. He knew the importance of strong networks within the business community, serving as president of the Western PA chapter of the Institute for Real Estate Management. Milt’s expertise and business achievements attracted the attention of companies such as Sprague Goodman and PNC, on whose board of directors he has served. He was a member of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland and served on the board of Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield.

He also used his clear-eyed business acumen to serve his community. A fund drive at the Hill House Association raised $5.1 million for the Pittsburgh black community. Milt headed the One in A Million drive, which raised $1 million for the August Wilson Center. He and his wife established the Nancy and Milton Washington Fund of the Pittsburgh Foundation and a gallery at the Carnegie Museum of Art, where he was a life member. Milt provided annual scholarships to youth identified by the Pittsburgh branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, and A.N. Minney scholarships at the Rankin Christian Center.

To advance computer literacy, he donated computers to the Mon View Heights Housing Community. He also assisted the Carnegie Institute, where he was an emeritus member, in bringing art education to black youngsters, generously funded scholarships at Point Park University, and served on the board of trustees of Carnegie Mellon University, as well as the Manchester Craftsmen Center’s board. He was a former board member of the YMCA of Greater Pittsburgh, the Allegheny Conference on Community Development, the Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh, the United Way of Allegheny County and the Pittsburgh Chamber of Commerce, among others. He was also a member of Sigma Pi Phi fraternity (Rho Boule) and a generous contributor to their foundation.

Milt received numerous awards in recognition of his community service and business achievements, including the Isabel P. Kennedy award of the Pittsburgh Foundation, the 1998 Brotherhood/Sisterhood Award, and, with his wife, the 2008 Humanitarian Award of Three Rivers Youth, and the 2015 History Makers Award of the Heinz History Center.

In 2002, he received a doctoral degree honoris causa from Point Park University. A man of deep faith, he was a member of Calvary Episcopal Church in Pittsburgh for more than 20 years.

He is survived by his widow, Nancy; his daughters, Linda, a New York physician, and Lara, president of AHRCO; granddaughters, Courtney and Zoe; grandsons, Kendall and Tanner; sons-in-law Gregory Armstrong and Ken Spruill; cousins, Barbara Willis, William Kinchelow, and their families; and a host of family, fraternity brothers, business colleagues and friends.

His funeral was held Thursday, Oct. 27 at Calvary Episcopal Church, with interment on Oct. 28 at Oak Grove Cemetery in Vineyard Haven.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to the Greater Pittsburgh YMCA, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center in honor of Dr. William Follansbee, and the August Wilson Legacy Fund of the Pittsburgh Foundation.