LTC (Ret.) Melvin A. “Buster” Miller, 77, died peacefully December 25, 2023 in Buford, Georgia. Visitation will be at Runge Mortuary in Davenport, Iowa on January 2, 2024 from 12-2pm followed by a funeral at 2 pm.
Melvin was born in Davenport, Iowa on August 2, 1946, the eldest of three sons to Bertha “Gussie” and Arthur J. “Buck” Miller. He was active in the Northwest Turners and Boy Scouts, earning his Eagle Award in 1961. Buster attended Garfield, Sudlow Junior High, and Davenport Central High School graduating in 1964. He then became a Hawkeye for life attending the University of Iowa until 1968. There, he had many fun times with his Delta Tau Delta fraternity brothers, enjoyed a summer working as a valet for a club in New England, and joined ROTC. Buster commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Army in 1968 and trained as an Airborne Ranger at Fort Benning becoming a parachutist. He then served 19 months in Vietnam with the 25th Infantry “Tropic Lightning” Division and 173rd Airborne Brigade. It was during a home leave between Vietnam tours that he met his wife of 47 years, Marla (Herrman) Miller. They were married on December 4th, 1971, in a formal military dress ceremony followed by a honeymoon to Hawaii, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. Throughout his Army career, Buster was active as an infantry officer, project officer of computer systems, and served with the 25th Division in Hawaii. He and Marla called Georgia, California, Hawaii, Virginia, and Iowa home over the years. During the 1970’s, they welcomed 3 children: Merrick, Maureen, and Matthew. After completing a B.S. in Business at the University of Nebraska-Omaha in 1975, Buster was transferred in 1982 to the White House Communications Agency. There, he travelled with Presidents Reagan and Bush coordinating the communications for their appearances all over the U.S. and abroad. He particularly enjoyed the Moscow Summit and trips to Geneva, Shanghai, and Ireland. A heart scare in 1989 lead Buster to relocate to Iowa where he worked at the Rock Island Arsenal on the Howitzer Cannon and later provided support during the Gulf War and Operation Desert Storm. Melvin retired as a Lieutenant Colonel in 1993 after completing 25 years of service to his country. He was the recipient of many awards including the Presidential Service award, Silver Star for heroism, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, and Purple Heart for injuries incurred during the invasion of Cambodia. A career change followed, and he began selling real estate for Ruhl & Ruhl. He also started buying homes to rehab and rent in the Village of East Davenport and became active with the restoration of the Colonel Davenport House in Rock Island. He enjoyed antique car collecting and winning trivia nights with friends and family. As he aged, Buster survived multiple heart attacks as well as stage 4 colon cancer. He enjoyed nothing more than spending time with his family, especially his grandchildren. We thank his doctors for their expertise which extended his life.
Buster’s great stories, historical knowledge, joyous personality, and dedicated service will be missed by all who met him from school mates to college buddies, Army pals, neighbors, and family members.
Melvin was preceded in death by his wife in 2019, youngest son Matthew in 2016, and his parents in 2000.
Family left to remember him are his children & spouses: Merrick & (Jen) Miller of Buford, GA and Maureen & (Jim) Liljegren of Overland Park, KS; brothers and sisters-in-law: Michael “Mike” & (Cheri) Miller and Marvin “Moose” & (Karin) Miller; sisters-in–law and brothers-in-law: Diane& (Randy) Sehmann and Juli & (Mark) Fritz; a daughter-in-law: Aubrey Miller - all of Davenport; Uncle Bunkle’s nieces and nephews, his dear cousins, and his beloved grandchildren: Em, Austin, Curtis, Carson, Shawn, & Mattox.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to American Legion Davenport Post #26, Genesis Foundation www.GenesisHealth.com/giving/donate/ or Davenporthouse.org .
