Miller, Ralph E. aka Mike, 92, passed away February 28, 2022, in Spokane, Washington. He was born on October 29, 1929, in Plains, Montana to the late John and Edna (Kleckner) Miller, 13th of 18 children.
After his father passed away, Mike hocked his father's shotgun for $5 and took the train to Spokane at age 16. He had three paper routes downtown, delivered groceries to widows, and sold pillows on Greyhound buses. In September 1947, he moved to Los Angeles to live with a brother. After getting his weight up to 104 lbs, he joined the Navy in December 1947. He attended electrician school and was shipped to the East Coast to board the USS Rodman. Mike traveled the Atlantic, the Caribbean, and the Arctic and enjoyed roller skating and seeing the sights during shore leave at various ports. During his time of service, he earned his GED and the rank of Second-Class Petty Officer. He returned to Spokane on Christmas Eve 1951 and started work on the Northern Pacific Railroad two days later. He was introduced to his wife Anna in September 1952 and they were married on October 3, 1952. Mike earned the nickname Scooter for his hard work for what became the Burlington Northern Railroad. In between his trips, Mike enjoyed playing sports, attending baseball games, and especially fishing at area lakes. He reveled in assisting friends and family with various projects – cutting down trees, installing fences, replacing hot water heaters, etc. After he retired in 1991, he found time for travel and attending Zags basketball games. Mike also increased his time helping others and was rewarded with being named the Northeast Neighbor of the Year in 1995. Even in his later years, he shoveled walks and mowed grass for many a widow and neighbor and grew zucchini and tomatoes just to give away. Mike will also be missed by the neighborhood dogs – he always carried a ready supply of dog biscuits in his pocket.
Mike is survived by four children: Linda Miller Jennings (Don), of Fredericksburg, VA, Steve Miller (Nancy) of Tukwila, WA, Julie Miller Driscoll (Jack) of Spokane, and Dave Miller (Karen), of Milton, GA, five grandchildren: Christina Jennings Lo (Jimmy) of Manassas, VA, Jessica Black (Wade Wheeler) of Portland, OR, Bryce Driscoll of Portland, OR, Avery Miller of Milton, GA and Reese Miller of Milton, GA, and four great-grandchildren: Eli Wheeler, Max Wheeler, and Delilah Black all of Portland, OR and Micah Lo of Manassas, VA. Mike also leaves behind one sibling: Joyce Holcomb of Clayton, AL, and numerous nieces and nephews. Mike was preceded in death by his wife, Anna Tafolla Miller, a son, Donald Miller, his parents, nine brothers, and seven sisters. A service will be held at Hennessey Funeral Home in Spokane on March 14, 2022, at 10:00 am with burial immediately following at Holy Cross Cemetery. A gathering will be held afterward at Mike's favorite restaurant, Golden Corral.
Published by Spokesman-Review from Mar. 9 to Apr. 8, 2022.
After his father passed away, Mike hocked his father's shotgun for $5 and took the train to Spokane at age 16. He had three paper routes downtown, delivered groceries to widows, and sold pillows on Greyhound buses. In September 1947, he moved to Los Angeles to live with a brother. After getting his weight up to 104 lbs, he joined the Navy in December 1947. He attended electrician school and was shipped to the East Coast to board the USS Rodman. Mike traveled the Atlantic, the Caribbean, and the Arctic and enjoyed roller skating and seeing the sights during shore leave at various ports. During his time of service, he earned his GED and the rank of Second-Class Petty Officer. He returned to Spokane on Christmas Eve 1951 and started work on the Northern Pacific Railroad two days later. He was introduced to his wife Anna in September 1952 and they were married on October 3, 1952. Mike earned the nickname Scooter for his hard work for what became the Burlington Northern Railroad. In between his trips, Mike enjoyed playing sports, attending baseball games, and especially fishing at area lakes. He reveled in assisting friends and family with various projects – cutting down trees, installing fences, replacing hot water heaters, etc. After he retired in 1991, he found time for travel and attending Zags basketball games. Mike also increased his time helping others and was rewarded with being named the Northeast Neighbor of the Year in 1995. Even in his later years, he shoveled walks and mowed grass for many a widow and neighbor and grew zucchini and tomatoes just to give away. Mike will also be missed by the neighborhood dogs – he always carried a ready supply of dog biscuits in his pocket.
Mike is survived by four children: Linda Miller Jennings (Don), of Fredericksburg, VA, Steve Miller (Nancy) of Tukwila, WA, Julie Miller Driscoll (Jack) of Spokane, and Dave Miller (Karen), of Milton, GA, five grandchildren: Christina Jennings Lo (Jimmy) of Manassas, VA, Jessica Black (Wade Wheeler) of Portland, OR, Bryce Driscoll of Portland, OR, Avery Miller of Milton, GA and Reese Miller of Milton, GA, and four great-grandchildren: Eli Wheeler, Max Wheeler, and Delilah Black all of Portland, OR and Micah Lo of Manassas, VA. Mike also leaves behind one sibling: Joyce Holcomb of Clayton, AL, and numerous nieces and nephews. Mike was preceded in death by his wife, Anna Tafolla Miller, a son, Donald Miller, his parents, nine brothers, and seven sisters. A service will be held at Hennessey Funeral Home in Spokane on March 14, 2022, at 10:00 am with burial immediately following at Holy Cross Cemetery. A gathering will be held afterward at Mike's favorite restaurant, Golden Corral.
Published by Spokesman-Review from Mar. 9 to Apr. 8, 2022.
Miller, Ralph E. aka Mike, 92, passed away February 28, 2022, in Spokane, Washington. He was born on October 29, 1929, in Plains, Montana to the late John and Edna (Kleckner) Miller, 13th of 18 children.
After his father passed away, Mike hocked his father's shotgun for $5 and took the train to Spokane at age 16. He had three paper routes downtown, delivered groceries to widows, and sold pillows on Greyhound buses. In September 1947, he moved to Los Angeles to live with a brother. After getting his weight up to 104 lbs, he joined the Navy in December 1947. He attended electrician school and was shipped to the East Coast to board the USS Rodman. Mike traveled the Atlantic, the Caribbean, and the Arctic and enjoyed roller skating and seeing the sights during shore leave at various ports. During his time of service, he earned his GED and the rank of Second-Class Petty Officer. He returned to Spokane on Christmas Eve 1951 and started work on the Northern Pacific Railroad two days later. He was introduced to his wife Anna in September 1952 and they were married on October 3, 1952. Mike earned the nickname Scooter for his hard work for what became the Burlington Northern Railroad. In between his trips, Mike enjoyed playing sports, attending baseball games, and especially fishing at area lakes. He reveled in assisting friends and family with various projects – cutting down trees, installing fences, replacing hot water heaters, etc. After he retired in 1991, he found time for travel and attending Zags basketball games. Mike also increased his time helping others and was rewarded with being named the Northeast Neighbor of the Year in 1995. Even in his later years, he shoveled walks and mowed grass for many a widow and neighbor and grew zucchini and tomatoes just to give away. Mike will also be missed by the neighborhood dogs – he always carried a ready supply of dog biscuits in his pocket.
Mike is survived by four children: Linda Miller Jennings (Don), of Fredericksburg, VA, Steve Miller (Nancy) of Tukwila, WA, Julie Miller Driscoll (Jack) of Spokane, and Dave Miller (Karen), of Milton, GA, five grandchildren: Christina Jennings Lo (Jimmy) of Manassas, VA, Jessica Black (Wade Wheeler) of Portland, OR, Bryce Driscoll of Portland, OR, Avery Miller of Milton, GA and Reese Miller of Milton, GA, and four great-grandchildren: Eli Wheeler, Max Wheeler, and Delilah Black all of Portland, OR and Micah Lo of Manassas, VA. Mike also leaves behind one sibling: Joyce Holcomb of Clayton, AL, and numerous nieces and nephews. Mike was preceded in death by his wife, Anna Tafolla Miller, a son, Donald Miller, his parents, nine brothers, and seven sisters. A service will be held at Hennessey Funeral Home in Spokane on March 14, 2022, at 10:00 am with burial immediately following at Holy Cross Cemetery. A gathering will be held afterward at Mike's favorite restaurant, Golden Corral.
Published by Spokesman-Review from Mar. 9 to Apr. 8, 2022.
After his father passed away, Mike hocked his father's shotgun for $5 and took the train to Spokane at age 16. He had three paper routes downtown, delivered groceries to widows, and sold pillows on Greyhound buses. In September 1947, he moved to Los Angeles to live with a brother. After getting his weight up to 104 lbs, he joined the Navy in December 1947. He attended electrician school and was shipped to the East Coast to board the USS Rodman. Mike traveled the Atlantic, the Caribbean, and the Arctic and enjoyed roller skating and seeing the sights during shore leave at various ports. During his time of service, he earned his GED and the rank of Second-Class Petty Officer. He returned to Spokane on Christmas Eve 1951 and started work on the Northern Pacific Railroad two days later. He was introduced to his wife Anna in September 1952 and they were married on October 3, 1952. Mike earned the nickname Scooter for his hard work for what became the Burlington Northern Railroad. In between his trips, Mike enjoyed playing sports, attending baseball games, and especially fishing at area lakes. He reveled in assisting friends and family with various projects – cutting down trees, installing fences, replacing hot water heaters, etc. After he retired in 1991, he found time for travel and attending Zags basketball games. Mike also increased his time helping others and was rewarded with being named the Northeast Neighbor of the Year in 1995. Even in his later years, he shoveled walks and mowed grass for many a widow and neighbor and grew zucchini and tomatoes just to give away. Mike will also be missed by the neighborhood dogs – he always carried a ready supply of dog biscuits in his pocket.
Mike is survived by four children: Linda Miller Jennings (Don), of Fredericksburg, VA, Steve Miller (Nancy) of Tukwila, WA, Julie Miller Driscoll (Jack) of Spokane, and Dave Miller (Karen), of Milton, GA, five grandchildren: Christina Jennings Lo (Jimmy) of Manassas, VA, Jessica Black (Wade Wheeler) of Portland, OR, Bryce Driscoll of Portland, OR, Avery Miller of Milton, GA and Reese Miller of Milton, GA, and four great-grandchildren: Eli Wheeler, Max Wheeler, and Delilah Black all of Portland, OR and Micah Lo of Manassas, VA. Mike also leaves behind one sibling: Joyce Holcomb of Clayton, AL, and numerous nieces and nephews. Mike was preceded in death by his wife, Anna Tafolla Miller, a son, Donald Miller, his parents, nine brothers, and seven sisters. A service will be held at Hennessey Funeral Home in Spokane on March 14, 2022, at 10:00 am with burial immediately following at Holy Cross Cemetery. A gathering will be held afterward at Mike's favorite restaurant, Golden Corral.
Published by Spokesman-Review from Mar. 9 to Apr. 8, 2022.
Inscription
US Navy
Family Members
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
Explore more
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
