The man behind Milt's Coffee Shop died this week.

Milton Huggs died in Bakersfield on Monday. He was 88-years-old.

Huggs opened the coffee shop on Knudsen Drive in northwest Bakersfield on Veterans' Day more than 53 years ago in 1964. The shop's website says its neon sign became a beacon for hungry truck drivers and families traveling on Highway 99.

A celebration of life is scheduled for April 13 at Hillcrest Memorial Park at 11 a.m.