1931
Roderick
2014
Roderick D. Miller
December 3, 1931 — April 4, 2014
Roderick D. Miller
Roderick ("Rod") D. Miller, age 82, died peacefully in Red Wing, Minnesota, on April 4, 2014.
Rod was born December 3, 1931, in St. Charles, Michigan, to Rudolph and Ethel (Arnold) Miller.Raised on the family farm with his sister, Wilma, and brother, Roger, he worked hard and liked school, hunting, camping with his family at Higgins Lake, playing baseball, raising animals and making furniture in 4-H, building model airplanes, and reading.
One night at the local roller rink, friend Bob Burtch introduced him to Marion Weigold. The two were married in 1952.
Rod graduated from Michigan State in 1955 with a degree in engineering and a commission in the U.S. Army. In 1956, he was stationed in Germany, where he was joined by Marion and their daughters, Cheryl and Lynette. After a military assignment in Texas and engineering and manufacturing jobs in Wisconsin and Utah, the family--now including sonRoss--moved to Minnesota, where they settled in Anoka and Rod moved up the management and executive ladders at Cornelius Company and Corco.
In the late 1960s, Rod and a partner started a steel distribution company, ATS Steel. Eventually, Rod sold his share and purchased Hiawatha Hardware. After several years as an entrepreneur, Rod returned to the corporate world and finished his career with Nortek, Inc., living in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Rod was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1981. Despite the increasing limitations imposed by that condition, he continued to be actively engaged in life.
After Rod retired in 1991, he and Marion returned to Minnesota and made their home in Red Wing. Rod set up a metal- and wood-working shop in the garage, and spent many hours customizing and repairing guns, and crafting furniture and gifts. Rod and Marion hosted Christmas and other holidays for their family, and were often found at their grandchildren's sporting events and other activities. For several years, they traveled frequently to visit their son and his family in Montana, their families in Michigan, and friends in Minnesota and Wisconsin.
The past couple of years were spent more quietly and closer to home: sharing holidays with his family; reading; watching his favorite sports teams (the Twins in particular). You would rarely find Rod without a book at hand. He especially appreciated biographies of great leaders and military histories.
Throughout his life, Rod enjoyed a variety of sports and activities. He fished and hunted in Minnesota, the Dakotas, Wisconsin, Montana, and Canada. He accomplished a lifelong dream by earning a private pilot's license and then an instructor's license, and took his wife, children, and friends on several flying adventures. While living in Wisconsin, he played handball regularly with a friend. And he and Marion had a cribbage game that never ended-and that he was winning.
Rod is survived by his wife of 62 years, Marion Miller; children Cheryl (Ken) Drivdahl of Northfield, Minnesota, Lynette (Devin) Stratton of Anoka, Minnesota,and Ross (Sally Johnson) of Missoula, Montana; 7 grandchildren; 4 great-grandchildren; siblings Wilma McCaughna and Roger (Sharon) Miller of St. Charles, Michigan; and 6 nieces and nephews and their families.
Rod was preceded in death by his parents, Rudolph and Ethel (Arnold) Miller; infant sister Sharon; and niece Kristin (Miller) Bielski.
Visitation will take place 6-7 p.m. Tuesday, April 8, 2014, at Mahn Family Funeral Home, Bodelson-Mahn Chapel, Red Wing, Minnesota, and 9-10 a.m. Wednesday, April 9, at United Lutheran Church, Red Wing. A service celebrating Rod's life will be held 10 a.m. Wednesday at United Lutheran Church with Reverend Justin Boeding officiating. Rod will be interred with full military honors at Fort Snelling National Cemetery, Minneapolis. Memorials are preferred to the MS Society and MS Foundation. Online condolences may be sent to www.mahnfamilyfuneralhome.com.
602 Plum Street P.O. Box 111
Red Wing, MN 55066
628 West 5th Street
Red Wing, MN 55066
628 West 5th Street
Red Wing, MN 55066
Roderick ("Rod") D. Miller, age 82, died peacefully in Red Wing, Minnesota, on April 4, 2014.
Rod was born December 3, 1931, in St. Charles, Michigan, to Rudolph and Ethel (Arnold) Miller.Raised on the family farm with his sister, Wilma, and brother, Roger, he worked hard and liked school, hunting, camping with his family at Higgins Lake, playing baseball, raising animals and making furniture in 4-H, building model airplanes, and reading.
One night at the local roller rink, friend Bob Burtch introduced him to Marion Weigold. The two were married in 1952.
Rod graduated from Michigan State in 1955 with a degree in engineering and a commission in the U.S. Army. In 1956, he was stationed in Germany, where he was joined by Marion and their daughters, Cheryl and Lynette. After a military assignment in Texas and engineering and manufacturing jobs in Wisconsin and Utah, the family--now including sonRoss--moved to Minnesota, where they settled in Anoka and Rod moved up the management and executive ladders at Cornelius Company and Corco.
In the late 1960s, Rod and a partner started a steel distribution company, ATS Steel. Eventually, Rod sold his share and purchased Hiawatha Hardware. After several years as an entrepreneur, Rod returned to the corporate world and finished his career with Nortek, Inc., living in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Rod was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1981. Despite the increasing limitations imposed by that condition, he continued to be actively engaged in life.
After Rod retired in 1991, he and Marion returned to Minnesota and made their home in Red Wing. Rod set up a metal- and wood-working shop in the garage, and spent many hours customizing and repairing guns, and crafting furniture and gifts. Rod and Marion hosted Christmas and other holidays for their family, and were often found at their grandchildren's sporting events and other activities. For several years, they traveled frequently to visit their son and his family in Montana, their families in Michigan, and friends in Minnesota and Wisconsin.
The past couple of years were spent more quietly and closer to home: sharing holidays with his family; reading; watching his favorite sports teams (the Twins in particular). You would rarely find Rod without a book at hand. He especially appreciated biographies of great leaders and military histories.
Throughout his life, Rod enjoyed a variety of sports and activities. He fished and hunted in Minnesota, the Dakotas, Wisconsin, Montana, and Canada. He accomplished a lifelong dream by earning a private pilot's license and then an instructor's license, and took his wife, children, and friends on several flying adventures. While living in Wisconsin, he played handball regularly with a friend. And he and Marion had a cribbage game that never ended-and that he was winning.
Rod is survived by his wife of 62 years, Marion Miller; children Cheryl (Ken) Drivdahl of Northfield, Minnesota, Lynette (Devin) Stratton of Anoka, Minnesota,and Ross (Sally Johnson) of Missoula, Montana; 7 grandchildren; 4 great-grandchildren; siblings Wilma McCaughna and Roger (Sharon) Miller of St. Charles, Michigan; and 6 nieces and nephews and their families.
Rod was preceded in death by his parents, Rudolph and Ethel (Arnold) Miller; infant sister Sharon; and niece Kristin (Miller) Bielski.
Visitation will take place 6-7 p.m. Tuesday, April 8, 2014, at Mahn Family Funeral Home, Bodelson-Mahn Chapel, Red Wing, Minnesota, and 9-10 a.m. Wednesday, April 9, at United Lutheran Church, Red Wing. A service celebrating Rod's life will be held 10 a.m. Wednesday at United Lutheran Church with Reverend Justin Boeding officiating. Rod will be interred with full military honors at Fort Snelling National Cemetery, Minneapolis. Memorials are preferred to the MS Society and MS Foundation. Online condolences may be sent to www.mahnfamilyfuneralhome.com.
Visitation
APR 8. 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM (CDT)
Mahn Family Funeral Home, Bodelson-Mahn Chapel602 Plum Street P.O. Box 111
Red Wing, MN 55066
Visitation
APR 9. 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM (CDT)
United Lutheran Church628 West 5th Street
Red Wing, MN 55066
Service
APR 9. 10:00 AM (CDT)
United Lutheran Church628 West 5th Street
Red Wing, MN 55066
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Roderick D. Miller, please visit our flower store.
Guestbook
Photo Gallery
Visits: 1
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the
Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Service map data © OpenStreetMap contributors