Darrel Miller

He was born to Everett and Edith (Ringblom) Miller in Homestead in 1927 and grew up on the family farm. He told stories of using a horse team to move their house up a hill, building a ski jump in the woods behind Anderson’s house and skating down the Little Popple River.

On the farm, he cleaned the chicken coop and harnessed the horses to work the fields. His father worked at the Ford plant in Kingsford and got him a driver’s license at 14 years old, so he could drive to Kingsford High School, where he played trumpet in the band. He graduated in 1944 and joined the Merchant Marines at 17 years old. That adventure took him through the mine-laden English Channel on ships returning German prisoners of war to Europe.

Upon his return, he worked for Osterberg’s Dairy and married Joan Dagger. They moved to Duluth, Minn., where he worked at Arrowhead Co-op Creamery and welcomed their son, Stephen. When they moved back to Homestead, Darrel drove school bus and worked other jobs before getting a job at R.C. Hoyle ready-mix company (future Twin City Concrete), where he worked for 30-plus years as a member of the Michigan Laborers’ Union.

He and Joan welcomed a daughter, Doreen, and built their house in Homestead out of boards he sawed at Anderson’s mill from logs they cut from their forest in Commonwealth. They maintained that house, gardened and raised their children, including another daughter, Carol, while Darrel helped milk cows on the Miller Dairy Farm. In retirement they became “snowbirds” to Tucson, Ariz. Summers in Wisconsin were spent gardening, fishing, picking berries and sawing boards at Darrel’s hobby mill.

Darrel built many grandfather clocks out of the cherry boards from the mill. Winters included tending citrus trees, playing shuffleboard and ushering at White Sox and Diamondbacks spring training games. He kept traveling to Tucson for winters after Joan’s death in 2014, spending summers at Golden K meetings and singing with the Golden Throats with his sister Vernell Gendron, until her death and COVID.

Darrel was also a life-long member of the Florence Masonic Lodge, a devoted fan of the Green Bay Packers and Milwaukee Brewers, and served on the Homestead Volunteer Fire Department. Overall, Darrel was a genuinely kind man who would help anyone.

Darrel is survived by his brother, Dale (Marlene) Miller; sisters-in-law, Donna Banks and Sheila Brown; son, Stephen Miller (Kathy Berger); daughters, Doreen (Rick) Trevino and Carol Mille;, granddaughters, Andre’ Miller and Tawnie Pike; grandson, J. De. (Amanda) Miller; three great grandchildren, Ethan Miller, Taylor Knight and Joey Miller; and many nieces and nephews.

He is preceded in death by his wife, Joan; his parents, Everett and Edith Miller; his sister, Vernell Gendron; his brother, Francis Miller; as well as his in-laws, George and Maggie Dagger; two brothers-in-law; a sister-in-law; a daughter-in-law, Lolly Miller; and a son-in-law, Mark Seitz.

Darrel’s family would like to thank the staff at Florence ADRC, specifically the Aurora Senior Meal Site, for helping him live in his home as long as possible and the medical staff at Marshfield Medical Center-Dickinson for making his last hours on earth peaceful.

While the family has entrusted Erickson-Rochon & Nash Funeral Home & Cremation Services for after-life arrangements, a celebration of Darrel’s life will take place at a date to be determined, so friends and family are asked not to send flowers.

Condolences may be expressed to the family of Darrel Everett Miller online at www.ernashfuneralhomes.com.