Raymond Miller

Graveside Memorial Service: Saturday, June 9, 2007 at 11 a.m. at the Vida Cemetery


Raymond Blayne Miller, age 94, of Glendive, MT passed away Thursday, March 22, 2007 at Robison Care Center in Glendive.

He was born April 20, 1912 in Helena, Montana to Charles and Ethel (Wolford) Miller. He had a younger brother Lawrence who died in infancy and a younger sister Lucille Keenan who passed away in 1989. Ray attended eight country schools in western and central Montana from grades 1 through grade 4 and East Helena Public School, grades 5 through grade 8. In 1926 he attended Helena High School and graduated in the class of 1930.After completion of high school he worked in and around Helena and Western Montana as a grocery clerk, ranch hand, and laborer and at road construction jobs and in placer mining.He married Geneva Nefzger of Vida, Montana in Billings on February 14, 1939. They made their home in Helena until 1942 when he was inducted into the Army, Second Infantry Division, Second Signal Company. The division was sent to Europe in 1943 and in 1944 was part of the invasion force at Omaha Beach on D-Day plus 1. He was with the Division from then on across France, Belgium, and Germany and was in Plzen, Czechoslovakia when the European conflict ended in May of 1945.

He was transferred to the states in July of 1945 to report to Camp Swift for re-assignment to the Pacific conflict. He also received a 30 day furlough to San Francisco where his wife, Geneva, was working the Navy office of surplus material. Geneva had moved to San Francisco in 1942 to be with two of her sisters who were working in offices associated with the war effort. However, the Pacific war ended while he was on furlough and when he reported in at Camp Swift he was processed shortly and given a discharge from active duty, along with a Purple Heart.Ray and Geneva soon left San Francisco for Montana and in March 1945 they moved to Bozeman, Montana where he enrolled in engineering courses at Montana State College. While attending college he worked for the City of Bozeman part time as assistant city engineer. In 1950 he received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Industrial Engineering. His wife worked for the Chamber Fisher Department Store to help finance his education. After graduation from Montana State they moved to Seattle, Washington where he was offered employment with the Boeing Company in 1951 at the time when almost all military and commercial contracts were being replaced with the jet age aircraft, and when they were in the process of being re-tooled for the 707 and K.C. 135 jets.

He retired from the Boeing Company in 1974. They then purchased a home in Yuma, Arizona and commuted between Seattle and Yuma. In 1996 they sold the Yuma home and moved to Grandview Retirement Home in Glendive, Montana. His wife, Geneva, passed away in March of 1999 just three weeks after their 60th wedding anniversary.

Interment for Ray Miller will be at the Vida Cemetery beside his wife on Saturday, June 9, 2007 at 11 a.m. Graveside services will be conducted by Pastor Darrell Nefzger, assisted by Dan Nefzger and followed by Military Honors. A light lunch will be served by the ladies of the Catholic Church.

Mr. Miller requests no flowers and in lieu of flowers to please make contributions to the Grandview Retirement Home Trust Fund, a memorial to Geneva Miller. Mr. Miller set up a modest gift as a basic fund for future donations to be added to the fund. The income from the fund will assist Grandview and the Board of Directors in maintaining a reasonable cost for current and future retirees who have a limited income to have a comfortable place to live for a few Golden Years. Anyone desiring further information may call Grandview Retirement Home, Inc. at (406) 377-3575.

Mr. Miller is survived by one sister-in-law and two brothers-in-law: Anna Nefzger of Glendive, Bob Nefzger of Vida and Kermit Tjon of Wolf Point; and numerous nieces and nephews, including Deanna & Craig Hostetler of Glendive, Scott & Kim Nefzger of Circle, Dan Nefzger of Vida, Dave & Lois Brown of Vida, Barry & Irene Tjon of Wolf Point and Darrell & Patti Nefzger of Bloomfield.

He is also survived by the five children of his sister Lucille: Joann & Larry Heller and Pat & Floyd Moore, all of Helena, Frances Buckley of Columbia Falls, Rae & Spencer Alisch of Pullman, WA and Jack & Shirley Cooper of Bothell, WA.