Milton J. Antonick

Milton Antonick, a notable automotive designer, passed away after a brief illness on May 2, 2026 surrounded by family. He will be remembered for his significant contributions to car design, particularly during his time at Chrysler. His legacy includes not only his designs but also his influence on future generations of designers. Milt was born in Chicago on March 12, 1936 to Nicholas and Anne Antonick. In those early Chicago years he spent summers at his grandparent's farm in northern Manitoba, a farm house without electricity, phone or indoor plumbing, but with a nearby steam loaded with northern pike and walleyes. In 1944, the family moved to Mt. Vernon, Ohio where Milt attended St Vincent de Paul grade and high school from which he graduated in 1954. He was an altar boy, Boy Scout, and starting forward on their very good basketball team. In 1955 while attending the University of Dayton, Milt designed and built the top senior winning model in the Fisher Body Craftsman's Guild annual competition. He used the Guild's $4000 scholarship money to complete his Associate Engineering degree from the University of Dayton, then attended the Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles, California majoring in automotive design. After service in the US Army at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico where he worked on top secret projects he never revealed during his lifetime, Milt started his auto design career at Studebaker in South Bend, Indiana in 1960. Shortly after arriving, the Avanti program was started and Milt was one of two in-house designers assigned to assist noted designer Raymond Loewy who oversaw the project. It was in South Bend that Milt met his future wife Pat, their first date being the April 26,1962 public debut of the Avanti in South Bend while a much larger intro took place that same day at the New York International Auto Show. Milt enjoyed working at Studebaker but the company's future was uncertain, so he moved to Chrysler in Detroit where he worked on numerous projects, but mostly on Plymouth models. He was the exterior studio head for the second generation Barracuda. An avid fisherman, Milt suggested the Barracuda name. He feared it was too long, but management ran with it. After leaving Chrysler, Milt continued auto design work for various firms, most notably William M Schmidt Associates where he traveled throughout Europe to serve Schmidt's clients. Going from hand drawn illustrations to designing on the computer was challenging, but Milt mastered it so well that after retirement, he taught Computer Aided Design at Detroit's College for Creative Studies. Throughout his lifetime, he loved the water and raced his "Yellow Bird" catamaran with his son Gary, and in the winter he would ice boat around Michigan and surrounding areas. He enjoyed fishing and canoeing with his son David, biking with his daughter Sue and talking sports with his son Chris. His other hobbies included motorcycle riding, astronomy and building telescopes. Milt is survived by his wife, 3 sons and 1 daughter, his grandson Nathaniel, and his brother Mike of Mt. Vernon, Ohio. He was preceded in death by his parents and brother Bob of Dayton, Ohio.

Milton J. Antonick

March 12, 1936 - May 2, 2026