More detail on this person: Col. William Emil
Miller, Jr., a decorated Vietnam Army helicopter
pilot, lost his battle with cancer on August 3,
2015. He was 73.
Born in Baltimore, MD, he attended Towson High
and the University of Baltimore. He met his wife
of 50 years, Barbara, in Towson. Married in 1964,
he left on his first tour of duty in Vietnam early
in 1966 and returned for a second tour in 1968.
It was there he earned two distinguished flying
crosses and two bronze stars, along with numerous
other medals and awards.
He returned home as an instructor pilot, flying
helicopters and fixed wing airplanes at Triangle
Airways in Laurel, MD. He had the pleasure of
flying Bob Dylan and Santa Claus to their
destinations. Bill earned his Bachelors degree
from Columbia College and completed both
Command & General Staff officers training and US
Army War College.
He steadily climbed the ranks of the military in
the Active Reserve, stationed at Ft. Meade,
Maryland until his last posting as Deputy
Assistant Commandant at Ft. Rucker, Alabama.
Appropriately, the two Huey choppers he flew in
Vietnam now flank the gates at Ft. Rucker. He
retired as a Colonel in 1994 and moved to
Delaware. After retirement, he worked for Boeing
as a consultant. He also served as the Building
Official in Dewey Beach from 1996 to 2001. Then,
pursuing his passion for construction and
remodeling, he spent time designing kitchens,
including both daughters and his own. p
Bill was blessed with the ability to fix anything
and enjoyed old cars and old boats. He restored a
1929 Ford Model A, a 19641/2 Mustang convertible,
and his latest project was his sailboat Vigilant,
which the Millers enjoyed sailing off the shores
of Lewes, where they lived for 22 years.
Bill and Barbara traveled extensively, visiting
Egypt, China, England, Germany, France, and Italy.
They also enjoyed excursions to Hawaii, Alaska,
and the Caribbean.
In addition to his parents, Bill was preceded in
death by his sister, Elizabeth Miller Stevens. He
is survived by his wife Barbara, and two
daughters, Kimberly Miller of West Palm Beach, FL
and Karen Miller of Baltimore, MD, and one
grandson, Lucas. He is also survived by brothers
John Miller and Charles Miller, both of Roswell,
GA and sister Janet Denbow of Freeland, MD.
A Celebration of Life will be held at 11AM Monday,
August 10, 2015 at Parsell Funeral Homes &
Crematorium, Atkins-Lodge Chapel, 16961 Kings
Highway, Lewes, DE, where friends may visit
beginning at 10 AM. Interment will be private.
Memorial gifts may be made to the Greenebaum
Cancer Center. Checks should be made payable to
the University of Maryland Baltimore Foundation,
Inc. (UMBF, Inc.) and sent to the School of
Medicine Office of Development at 31 S. Greene
St., 3rd Floor, Baltimore, MD 21201.
This information was last updated 11/23/2013
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Date posted on this site: 03/10/2024
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