Roger L. Miller

Roger Miller was a chocolate fanatic, an avid card player and a Lions fan. More importantly, though, he was a loving husband, a supportive father, and an instigating grandfather. Dependable and honest, sincere and caring, Roger was a happy-go-lucky guy who was never happier than when surrounded by his beloved family members. Roger Lee was born on August 25, 1931, in Ludington, Michigan. His proud parents were William and Marie Miller, and he had an older brother waiting for him at home, named Billy. Roger was not to be the baby of the family for long, however - the Miller clan grew to eleven members with the addition of children Donna, Rosemary, Bobby, Annette, Helen Ann, Pat and Linda. William Miller supported the family by working at Grand Trunk Railroad, as well as running a small farm. There was never a dull moment in the Miller household, and fun-loving Roger was never short of playmates. Before he knew it, Roger was old enough to attend school at Ravenna, Michigan. As Roger grew into a young man, he was lucky enough to make the acquaintance of a girl named Helen Morse. The pair was in 1950 introduced on a double-date to the Drive-In Movie Theater (courtesy of Helen's brother Jim), and it was love at first sight for both of them. It didn't take Roger and Helen long to figure out that they wanted to spend the rest of their lives together, and the next year they celebrated a simple marriage in the Forest Home parsonage of Muskegon, Michigan. Roger was nineteen years old; Helen was fifteen. The young couple moved into their first home, a basement apartment on 1425 West St., Muskegon, and Roger became an employee at Muskegon Piston Ring. Soon the new family was blessed with the birth of a healthy baby boy, Roger Jr. ("Butch") in 1951, with Kenny and Carol following in 1952 and 1954. Perhaps motivated by fond childhood memories, Roger was well on his way to having a family as large as the one he grew up in! In 1955 the family moved to a new home on 1594 Tyler Road, where a fourth child, Rose, was born. At this time, Helen was working at the Sandwicks Grocery Store as well as attending Muskegon Business College - money was tight, but life was good. In 1962, Jeffrey was born, but tragically died of SIDS a few months later; both Roger and Helen were deeply grieved by the loss. Over the next seven years, three more children were born - Al, Brenda, and Karen Sue - and Roger and Helen's family was complete. All the kids attended Orchard View Public Schools, where they were involved in lots of sports and extracurricular activities. Roger was very supportive of all the kids' efforts, and even became involved himself as a coach in the little league baseball and East Muskegon Football League programs, as well as several Boosters Clubs. No matter what his children did, Roger was always there for them, and no one was prouder of their achievements than him. With eight children in household, however, there was a lot of management to be done, and some of Roger's most often repeated phrases were: "Shut the door, we don't live in a barn!", "Go ask your mother," and "What did your mother say?" In 1969, the kids began to leave the nest beginning with Kenny and Roger, who joined the Air Force as career military men. Roger Sr. was still involved with coaching for the children at home, and there were lots of big family gatherings. Around this time, the family was doing well enough to visit Disney World and even put in a swimming pool in the backyard. In 1983, Roger and Helen went in a new direction with the purchase of W.T.'s, a combination of restaurant, gas station, bakery and party store. Roger continued to work at Muskegon Piston Ring, so it was mainly Helen who ran the store, with the help of many children and grandchildren. Running the store was a family operation; both stressful and satisfying, it became part of the lives of all the family members. In 1987, Roger retired from Muskegon Piston Ring after thirty years, and the couple moved to West Olive, Michigan, in order to be close to the store. Roger and Helen loved to organize big family reunions at their new home, which often featured barbeques, picnics, and games. The house was always open to children and grandchildren, and as a result it was usually bustling, resembling a "never ending buffet." In October, 1999, Roger and Helen decided to sell the store and enjoy a well-earned retirement, moving south to sunny Florida. In 2006, the Millers moved back to West Olive to live with their daughter Brenda while a house for them was being built across the street. Sadly, before they could move into that house Roger was diagnosed with cancer. Roger Miller was a sincere, warm-hearted man with a great sense of humor and a strong sense of family. He will be deeply missed by all those lucky enough to have known him. Roger Lee died on January 2, 2007. His family includes his wife, Helen; three sons, Roger, Jr. (Donna) of TX, Ken (Wendy) of CA, and Al (Annette) of TX; three daughters, Carol Miller of Muskegon, Brenda (Todd) Vanderploeg of West Olive, and Karen "Sue" Miller of OH; 19 grandchildren; 17 great grandchildren; one sister, Pat Cradlebaugh of Muskegon; one brother, Bob (Carol) Miller of FL; one son-in-law, Fred (Cheri Brink) Sellinger of Ravenna; and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents; one son, Jeffery; one daughter, Rose Sellinger; one brother, Bill; five sisters, Donna Schrouder, Rosemary Nicholson, Annette Miller, Helen Ann Pehlivan and Linda LaVassuer. Services will be held Saturday, January 6, 2007, at 1:00 PM at Clock Lifestory Funeral Home, Grand Haven, with Pastor Jerry Poehl officiating. Visitation will be on Saturday, one hour prior to the service at Clock Lifestory Funeral Home, Grand Haven. Memorials may be made to the Hospice of North Ottawa. Please visit lifestorynet.com to leave a memory or to sign the online guestbook.