Gerald "Jerry" H Miller

Gerald (Jerry) H. Miller, 83, of Mitchell, passed away on January 31, 2019 at Regional West Medical Center in Scottsbluff. His funeral service will be at 2 PM on Tuesday, February 5, 2019 at Harvest Valley Church in Scottsbluff with Elder Larry Massey officiating. Burial will follow at the Mitchell City Cemetery. Visitation will be held from 4-7 PM on Monday at Dugan-Kramer Funeral Chapel. Memorials may be given to the church. Online condolences may be left at www.dugankramer.com

Jerry was born August 29, 1935 to Charley and Ina (Wiese) Miller in Firesteel, South Dakota. He attended elementary school there transferring to Isabel High School, Isabel, South Dakota, graduating in 1953. He farmed until 1954 when he moved to Sidney, Nebraska and worked in the oil fields. He returned to South Dakota in early 1955 working for International Harvester Company. Later that year, he returned to Sidney and continued working for International Harvester until 1959. In 1959 he purchased the Conoco Bulk Agency which he owned until 1961. From 1961 to 1963 he worked for the Sidney Police Department. In 1963 Jerry went to work for Goodyear Service Center in Sidney, transferring to Ft Morgan, Colorado where he was store manager until 1970. In 1970 he moved to Scottsbluff, Nebraska where he worked for several mobile home dealers until opening his own lot, Leisure Living Mobile Homes in Mitchell, Nebraska.

Following open heart surgery in December 1977, Jerry closed his sales lot, but returned to work a few months later delivering mobile homes nationwide. He pulled mobile homes until 1990 when ill health forced him to retire. During this time, Jerry earned his pilot's license and purchased an airplane which he used to fly his customers to mobile home factories to custom-order their own manufactured homes. He enjoyed flying so much that he and his wife Joyce continued flying several years after closing the sales lot.

Jerry met his future wife, Joyce D. Hengl in Sidney in 1954. They were married November 13. 1955. To this union 5 children were born: Scott Miller, Dan Miller, Marcy Wagner, Rick Miller, and Melissa Ringhausen. In 1972, the Millers purchased 10 acres of land on the outskirts of Mitchell, Nebraska. They put their new home on 5 acres and the other 5 acres became Paradise Acres Mobile Home Park. They managed and maintained the park until August 2015 when it was sold.

Jerry and Joyce loved to travel, camp and work in their yard. They did a lot of traveling all over the United States. Jerry especially loved the outdoors. He and Joyce loved to decorate their home on all the holidays, especially at Christmas. He never really retired, continuing volunteer work at the county fair, working constantly, even in poor health, on tractors, and antique cars of which he restored six, one for each of his children and one for Joyce. For 10 years Jerry also worked for Western Sugar during campaign, watering the grounds to keep the dust down.

He is survived by his wife of 63 years, Joyce, children Scott (Hope) Miller of Mitchell; Dan (Kim) Miller of Glendale, Arizona, Rick Miller (Kary McCafferty) of Lake Minatare; Marcy (Gary) Wagner of Larned, Kansas, and Melissa (Lance) Ringhausen of Shiloh, Illinois, grandchildren Amanda Miller, Caden ( Jessica) Miller, Christian Miller, and Madison Miller; Michael (Ashley) Miller, Lindy Ringhausen and Jackson Miller: three step-grandchildren, Lori Schaar, Stacy Darnell, and Crystal Castaneda, six step-great-grandchildren, and two step-great-great grandchildren; sister, Elaine Fuhrer of Mobridge, South Dakota, and several nieces and nephews and great nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his Father, Mother, Sister Deloris Miller, Niece Twila and brother-in-law Gilbert Fuhrer.