William "Bill" Miller, 73, of Washburn, passed away peacefully at his home on Aug. 14, 2012, surrounded by his loving family after fighting a courageous battle with cancer.
Mass of Christian Burial will be held Saturday, Aug. 18, at 10 a.m., in St. Edwin's Catholic Church in Washburn. Burial will follow in Riverview Cemetery, Washburn.
Visitation will be held today, Aug. 17, from 4 to 7 p.m., at St. Edwin's Catholic Church with a 7 p.m. prayer service, also today at the church.
William "Bill" Miller was born April 13, 1939, to Constantine and Josephine (Lemer) Miller, in Drake. Bill was raised on a farm north of Drake and attended country school.
On Oct. 5, 1960, he was united in marriage to Carol Zacher at Maddock. As a young man, he worked for a local gas station in Drake. He also worked on the railroad, working on building missile sites in North Dakota. He attended Bismarck Junior College, receiving a degree in auto body repair. They moved to Washburn in 1967, where he worked for Hoffman Motors as an auto body technician. He later joined the Boilermakers Union Local 647, retiring in 2001.
Bill was an avid hunter and enjoyed teaching all of his sons and grandsons how to hunt. He enjoyed playing pinochle, gardening, bowling, walking his dog, driving and working on derby cars with his sons and brother. He was a Cub Scout den leader, member of the Washburn Gun Club, Washburn Jaycees, Bismarck Eagles, and a member of the Washburn Volunteer Fire Department for 33 years.
Bill could not walk by a coin-operated crane machine without winning all of his grandchildren lots of stuffed toys. Bill enjoyed spending lots of time with his grandchildren, spoiling them and sending them home.
Bill was a man of many talents and was able to fix almost anything. He was known to many in Washburn as a very talented and knowledgeable mechanic.
Bill is survived by: his wife of 51 years, Carol, of Washburn; daughter, Lori (Paul) Hardy, of Underwood; four sons, Barry, of West Fargo, Don, of Washburn, Tim (Dina), of Bismarck, and Dean, of West Fargo; his mother, Josephine Miller of Drake; eight grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren; four sisters, Marion (Jim) Ulrich, of Drake, Marlene Schaefer, of Bismarck, Connie (Julius) Gange, of Jamestown, and Shirley Bruner, of Anamoose; three brothers, Leroy (Elaine), of Drake, Larry, of Logan, and Myron (Mary Kay), of Drake; sister-in-law, Vicki Miller, of Bismarck; numerous nieces and nephews; and his walking partner (dog) Carmel.
He was preceded in death by his son, Todd; father, Constantine; one grandson, T.J. Larson; mother-in-law and father-in-law, Harry and Anna Zacher; one brother, Alvin; brothers-in-law, Neal Bruner, Ronald Zacher, and Galen Schaefer; and a niece, Melissa Gange.
Provide condolences and sign the guestbook at (www.goetzfuneralhomes.com).
(Goetz Funeral Homes, Washburn)