Robert Gene "Bob" Miller

Robert Gene "Bob" Miller, devoted husband and father, independent thinker, storyteller, and entrepreneur, died in his home of natural causes on Monday, October 15, 2018. He was 87 years old. Born on August 14, 1931, in Enoch, Texas, to Willie Gertrude Arrington Miller and Wade Hampton Miller, he was the seventh of nine children. A child of the Depression, Bob was fiercely independent, resourceful, and self-reliant. By the time he was thirteen years old, he had operated his own business as a shoe shiner, worked as a cotton picker (did not care for it), gathered scrap lumber at a sawmill, and had been a server at the Officer's Club at Williams Air Force Base. His working life began at age seven, when he did odd jobs for local business owners, including a generous banker named Mr. Green, who always wore vanilla ice cream-colored suits, and paid him the first dime he ever earned. He especially enjoyed working at Weldon's riding stable, where he would clean stalls, saddles, and bridles, and pretend to be a cowboy. He was soon promoted to taking visitors on horse-guided tours of Papago Park in Arizona. He affectionately called each horse he rode "Silver," named after the horse of Western film star Buck Jones. In 1947, at age fifteen, Bob became a yeoman in the Merchant Marines and got his first ship (a Liberty ship freighter) bringing wheat to Hamburg, Germany, following World War II. His time in the military was marked by extensive travel, adventure, and stability. He started as a dishwasher and, in a relatively short period, rose to Junior Administrative Officer. He taught himself to type and became the "Ship's Writer," handling correspondence for the captain and writing and publishing the ship's weekly newsletter. His early education was often interrupted, due to either financial necessity or his entertaining dreams of being a cowboy, so this was a significant achievement in the early life of Bob Miller. He was largely self-taught and regarded, even at that young age, for his sharp intellect. His final ship, before leaving the military in 1951, was on a classified mission. He sailed from San Francisco to Pearl Harbor, and eventually to the Marshall Islands, where he was witness to "Operation Greenhouse," the testing of the hydrogen bomb. He left the military soon after and, with the benefits from the GI Bill, enrolled in Lamson Business College, which led to his next career in business management and entrepreneurship. In business, he enjoyed some successesas the owner of a saloon and later a furniture manufacturing business. His last enterprise was as a freelance graphic designer. He also experienced some failures, but the survival skills he developed as a young boy fueled his fortitude and optimism through life's difficulties and his extraordinary humility and generosity during periods of prosperity. While the first half of life was marked with adventure, the latter half was filled with quiet comforts of home and family. In 1967, he met his beloved Connie Gray, knowing instantly that he would marry her, which they did on May 20, 1968. Married for fifty years, it was the love of a lifetime. They had four children, Carin, Dede, Mike, and Annie. They moved between California, Arizona, Idaho, before settling down in Utah. The family spent a meaningful thirteen years in Petaluma, California, where their home was a space of sharing food, music, and laughter with a wide community of friends and neighbors. He was a wonderful storyteller, an innovative cook, and he took great pleasure in sharing everything he had to give. He was curious, deep thinking, and never, at any age, did he have difficulty speaking his mind. He enjoyed old movies and music, especially blues, country, and bluegrass. Some childhood friends became professional musicians, including Waylon Jennings, and those country hits were part of the soundtrack of his home. Bob was a man very much defined by his beliefs and faith in God. He was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and he credited much of the success of his and Connie's family to having belonged to a charitable and service- oriented religion. Bob was a proud father and "Papa". He found joy in the achievements and interests of his children and ten grandchildren. He especially shared a passion for baseball and basketball with his son, and was a fixture in the bleachers at every game and many practices throughout Mike's sporting career. He and Connie showed unwavering support to their kids in anything they wanted to do. His children inherited a bit of his trailblazing instincts and independent spirit, or, as he put it, "True Grit." But his true and lasting legacy will be in the kindness we show to others. He led by example to look out for our neighbors, friends, family, and especially those who may seem different, disadvantaged, or just down on their luck. Bob is survived by his wife Connie and their four children, Carin Davis (Danny), Dede Ryan (Bill), Mike Miller, and Annie Miller, his grandchildren (Cameron, Reagan, Wesley, and Chase Ryan; Ellie, Kate, and Sophie Davis; Braden, Grace and Sara Miller), sister Joyce Cook and half brother Jimmy Johnson (Coco), and a large extended family of cousins, nephews and nieces. He was and forever will be our North Star, our guiding light, our loving husband, dad, and papa, and, of course, the consummate cowboy. There will be a viewing on Friday, October 19, from 6:00-8:00 pm. Funeral services will be held at 10:00 am on Saturday, October 20, preceded by a viewing from 9:00- 9:45 am. Kearns Utah Stake Center, 4260 W 5215 S, Kearns, Utah, 84118. Place of Birth: Enoch, TexasPlace of Death: Kearns, Utah