Col. John Miller's Obituary
Colonel John Miller, 82, of Leesburg, Virginia died on Monday, September 12, 2011. Colonel Miller was born January 6, 1929, in Fort Morgan, Colorado. His parents, Alexander Miller and Katie Wombolt Miller, were of German-Russian descent. They emigrated to Colorado from the lower Volga region of Russia in 1912. John was the youngest of nine children. He spoke only German until attending elementary school.
John led his Fort Morgan High School basketball team to the state championships. He attended Idaho State University on a basketball scholarship, transferring to Utah State, a Western regional powerhouse, before his sophomore year. At Utah State, John led the team to three consecutive winning seasons. He was featured in Sport magazine in 1950 as a selection for that year's "dream team."
While attending Utah State, John joined ROTC and became the Commandant of the Utah State ROTC. In 1950, while attending an ROTC function in Sacramento, California, he met his wife, Nancy Dodd Miller. Within a week, he proposed marriage. Within a month, they were married in Atoka, Oklahoma, the hometown of Nancy's father.
Following graduation from Utah State in 1951, John joined the Air Force, where he was initially stationed in San Antonio, Texas. He received an Air Force scholarship to attend the business school at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana, from which he received a Masters of Business Administration in 1954. There followed assignments in Sealand, England; O'Hare Air Force Base in Illinois (before O'Hare International Airport was developed); Los Angeles; Madison, Wisconsin; Wiesbaden, Germany; the Pentagon; and Saigon, Vietnam. During his tenure in Vietnam, John received two Legion of Merit awards for "exceptionally meritorious conduct".
Colonel Miller retired from the Air Force in 1974 to spend time converting the antique collecting hobby that he and Nancy had developed during their travels into a business. They purchased the historic "Pink House" in Cape May, New Jersey, a Victorian gingerbread house that was required by the local historic landmarks commission to be always painted pink, and opened an antique and gifts shop there which they maintained continuously for more than 20 years. In 1977, they opened a second antique and gifts shop in Leesburg, Virginia, which they managed for a number of years, before making Leesburg their permanent home.
Colonel Miller is survived by his beloved wife of 61 years, Nancy Ruth Dodd Miller; his children, Allen Miller (Susan Davidson) and Mari Miller Bal (Raj Bal); his grandchildren: Andrea Miller, Alexander Bal, Julia Miller, Caroline Bal and Michelle Bal; his nieces, Earline Downey (Ernie) and Cathy Cooperrider; and his nephew, Edward Cooperrider.
The family would like to acknowledge with gratitude the special kindness of Billy Fisher, Tom Grimes and friends and merchants in Leesburg who became John and Nancy's second family.
Colonel Miller is predeceased by his beloved parents and siblings, Elizabeth, Alex, Henry, Alexander, Millie, Mary ("Curly"), Freda and Emma.
Friends may call on Saturday, September 17, 2011 from 12 -1pm at the Loudoun Funeral Chapel, 158 Catoctin Cr. SE in Leesburg. Interment with military honors will follow at Union Cemetery, Leesburg at 1:30 pm.
What’s your fondest memory of Col. John?
What’s a lesson you learned from Col. John?
Share a story where Col. John's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Col. John you’ll never forget.
How did Col. John make you smile?