Jack Dean Miller

Jack Dean Miller was born January 29, 1936, in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He was the second child of Otto Carl Miller and Margaret Pearl Cooper. His brother, Bill, was six years his senior.

Jack’s father passed away in 1946 when he was 10, and his mother passed away in 1957 when he was 21.

Shortly after graduating from high school Jack was called to active duty (Navy) in September 1955. He spent two years in Guam and was honorably discharged in September of 1957, the same month and year Shirley Kathryn Strasia graduated from nursing school.

Upon returning to Colorado Springs, he stood in for a gentleman who was to be picking up Shirley for a date. Despite this accidental beginning, the spark was ignited and they were married September 14, 1958. They wasted no time in starting a family. Greg was born 10 months later in July 1959. Followed by Stephen in May of 1962, and Jill in April of 1964.

In their early child rearing years, Jack attended college while Shirley worked as a Registered Nurse. He graduated with a Bachelor’s degree from Colorado State College in 1961 with a double major in Social Science and Business, followed by a Master’s in Social Science in 1962.

In 1962, they moved from Colorado Springs to Portland, Oregon. Jack started his career at Cleveland High School as a teacher coordinator. In the later 1960s, he pursued a Doctorate in Education from Oregon State University, graduating in 1971.

In 1972, Jack took a faculty position at Mt. Hood Community College (MHCC) where he had numerous roles throughout his tenure. His final position at MHCC was Dean of Professional Technical Development, where in 1991 the college was recognized as one of the top three consortiums in the nation. He was a passionate believer in the value of community service; he was a board member or served as an officer on numerous associations focused on education and economic development, as well as Rotary Club and the board of Edgefield Lodge.

Despite his very busy professional life, Jack always prioritized time for family and friends. The kids' school year was filled with attending Greg’s football games, Greg and Steve’s Little League games, Jill's dance recitals, and Steve and Jill’s soccer games. Summer vacations included yearly camping trips to Detroit Lake with the Connells, Kuepkers, and Trumbulls, and houseboating on Lake Shasta with the Kuepkers. Spring break and various weekends were often spent on the Oregon coast at Seaside, Lincoln City, or Newport crabbing, clamming, fishing, and indoor swimming. Boating was a huge part of family life and allowed the kids the opportunity to learn to waterski, wakeboard, and fish.

Jack believed in the value of a community college education and all 3 of his children graduated from MHCC.

In the early 1980s, he was selected as a Hayes-Fulbright scholar to Hong Kong and the Republic of China where he spent 6 weeks. Later in the '80s, he was recruited by a cruise line as a guest lecturer on Asian Affairs. His travels took him to China, Singapore, Bali, Brunei, and many other countries in Southeast Asia. He was joined by Shirley on several of these trips as well as Jill.

In 1994, he retired to spend more time at his Columbia River boathouse at Big Eddy Marina, along with golfing, travel to Mexico and Europe, and reading.

In addition to his wife and 3 children, Jack is survived by 9 grandchildren (Robby, Cindy, Tommy, Jenny, Jimmy, Alexa, Nick, Hannah, and Benjamin) and 6 great grandchildren (Riley, Cohen, Mila, Poppy, Mercy, and Goldie).

Although he had many accomplishments throughout his life, his greatest success was being a loving father and husband of 66 years. He will be greatly missed.