Robert Henry Miller

Robert Henry Miller was born in Salem, Oregon on August 29, 1944 to Henry and Mabel Miller. He grew up on the family farm with 3 sisters and 1 brother in Sublimity, Oregon.  He graduated from Serra Catholic High School in 1962. After high school, he first attended Mt. Angel College, then graduated from Brigham Young University-Provo with a bachelor’s degree in history. During this time he joined the Army Reserves and served one term of enlistment. One day, while skiing on Mount Bachelor, by chance and pure luck, he caught the chair lift up the mountain with Christine Mikkelson. On April 17, 1976 they married in Albany, Oregon. The couple moved to Aumsville, Oregon where they lived and raised a family of  boys, with whom Rob worked hard to imbue a strong work ethic, common sense and the locally famous Miller family frugality.   Robert worked for Norpac Food for 41 years and worked his way up from a computer programmer to vice president of sales.  In this position, he traveled the world developing strong business relationships nationally and in many countries until his retirement in 2009.  Outside of work, Robert enjoyed many activities. He served as a Board of Directors for the Santiam Golf Course and on the Sublimity Elementary and Middle School Board. He also enjoyed sports, particularly hunting, fishing, basketball, skiing, coaching kids’ sports, and golf.  He was known for his very competitive temperament. Basketball opponents often were frustrated by his tenacious and mischievous defense tactics.  He also enjoyed what he called “recreational logging”, reforesting and managing recently logged properties, which helped him support his kids through college.  Cutting firewood was a family pastime. In his personal and family life, he was known for his good nature, his sense of humor and loyalty.  He could converse with anybody, and learn all about someone’s life and family without sharing anything about himself. On September 18, 2021, Robert died of complications of Parkinson’s disease and dementia in Salem, Oregon. He is survived by his loving wife Christine; children, Aaron Miller and his wife Jennifer Jain, Douglas Miller, and Ryan Miller and his partner Hannah; grandchildren, Faith, Malik and Mayah; and siblings, Tom Miller and Margaret Williams. He was preceded in passing by his parents, Henry and Mabel, and his siblings, Beverly Cox and Marylee Wagner. There will be a private memorial service.  Those who wish to make donations, may do so to the Alzheimer’s or the Michael J. Fox Foundation to fund important research, or simply “plant a tree” in honor of Rob.