Carl is survived by his wife Bonita “Bonnie” (née Wilbert); his son Cameron (Laura) Miller of Walkersville, MD; his daughter Christy (Brian) O’Neill of Mechanicsburg, PA; his granddaughters Nicole and Emily Miller; his grandson Padraig O’Neill; and his sister-in-law Iris Miller of Harrisburg, PA. His family also includes many uncles, aunts, and cousins.
He was born September 12, 1943 in Harrisburg, PA to Carl D. “Pop” and June Miller, who both preceded him in death, as did his brother Drew Miller.
Carl graduated from Susquehanna Township High School in 1961, where he met the love of his life, Bonnie. They would have celebrated their 56th wedding anniversary on June 13th. After high school, Carl attended Lebanon Valley College for one year. He then went to what would become HACC for a year, before leaving school for financial reasons. In lieu of being drafted during the Vietnam Era, he enlisted in the Army for an extended 3-year tour in exchange for attending the Nuclear Weapons Electronic Specialist School. During the war, he served time in Korea and was a member of VFW Post #7530. After leaving the Army, he returned to Lebanon Valley College, graduating in 1970 with a degree in Business Administration. Carl took a job with Bell Telephone and was employed there for 27 years before retiring in 1994. During his time at Bell and its various iterations, Carl took pride in finding unique, common sense solutions to solve complex problems. While at Bell, he spent time at several locations including Bell Laboratories in Holmdel, NJ and in Argentina, consulting with their government on developing a reliable phone network.
Carl’s passion was spending time with his family. He was a devoted father, spending many hours working with his son on Boy Scout activities and coaching his daughter’s softball team. An early retirement also afforded him to a be a constant presence at his grandchildren’s dance recitals, games, concerts, and milestone events. As a good Dutchman, he also taught his grandkids that a proper ice cream float should be made with birch beer, not root beer. There were also many lessons in the appropriate candies that should be stashed in Grandma’s purse. Vacationing with his family was also a hobby; which included summer camping trips in Canada with his in-laws, John and Margaret Wilbert, many family trips to the beach, a Hawaiian trip with Drew and Iris, and a family trip to Alaska with both his children and all of his grandkids.
Carl was gratified being a good provider for his family and was very proud of the fact that both his children earned their doctorates in Chemistry. Carl wasn’t the strong, silent type, though. Anyone who spent time with Carl and his brother would tell you that they were loquacious (which is a fancy word for chatty), often going into great detail in order to explain their thoughts on various subjects. His advice and wisdom will be sorely missed by his family.
For many years, Sundays in the fall meant trips to Philadelphia as Eagles season ticket holders. Much to the delight of his wife, son, daughter-in-law, and granddaughters – and to the chagrin of his son-in-law – Carl cathartically enjoyed watching his beloved Eagles win their first Super Bowl.
A ceremony will be held at Indiantown Gap National Cemetery at a later date. Contributions in Carl’s memory may be made to Lebanon Valley College Student Emergency Fund in support of students struggling financially with the current COVID19 crisis.
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