Date of Birth:
Monday, April 27, 1936
Date of Death:
Thursday, July 23, 2015
Age:
79 years old

Marvin Dale Miller

Marvin D. Miller, 79, beloved husband and father, died Thursday, July 23, 2015 at home, surrounded by his family, after a long courageous battle with esophageal cancer.  A Mass of Christian Burial will be held Monday, July 27, 2015, at 10:00 a.m. at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church in Rochester with the Rev. Msgr. Gerald Mahon officiating.  Burial will be at Fort Snelling Cemetery in Minneapolis on Tuesday.  Visitation is Sunday, July 26, 2015, from 3pm to 5pm in the River Park Chapel at Macken Funeral Home and one hour prior to the Mass at the church on Monday.

Marv was born on the family farm in Wheaton, Minnesota on April 27, 1936 to Delos and Alice (Boekholt) Miller.  He married his college sweetheart, Kathy Zervas, on June 6, 1958 at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Moorhead, Minnesota.  In addition to his wife, Marv is survived by his loving family including children, Kathy (Harry) McKee of Wheaton, Illinois, Sheila of Scottsdale, Arizona, Kerry (Dawn) of Houston, Texas, Kelly of Anthem, Arizona, and Coco of Anthem, Arizona; grandchildren, Meaghan, Colleen, Danny and Kevin McKee, Kelli and Kasey Burnham, and Tyler and Connor Miller; sister, Avanelle Gray, and many loving nieces and nephews.  He was preceded in death by his parents, Alice and Delos Miller, his brother, Donald Miller, his grandson, Nicholas Miller, and brother-in-law, Wesley Gray.

Marv attended a one room country school from first through eighth grade and enjoyed telling his children and grandchildren that he was the smartest one in his class, only later did he mention that he was the only one in his class.  Marv graduated from Wheaton High School in 1954.  He was an outstanding athlete.  Despite not being introduced to sports until he was in high school, he lettered in four sports (football, basketball, track and baseball) all four years of high school.  He set a school record by scoring 550 points in one season in basketball.  Marv earned membership in the Minnesota State High School League 1,000 Point Club and shared that honor with his son, Kerry, and twin daughters, Kelly and Coco, who also scored over 1,000 points during their high school basketball careers at Mayo High School.  Marv was so proud that four members of his family shared this prestigious honor, particularly since there was no three point shot when Marv and Kerry played basketball.

Marv played freshman football at the University of Minnesota and made the final cut as a freshman for the U of M freshman basketball team.  Instead of pursuing his education at the U of M, Marv accepted a full athletic scholarship to play football and basketball at North Dakota State University.  In 1958, Marv graduated as a proud “Bison” with a B.S. Degree in Education.  While at NDSU, Marv was in the ROTC program and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant upon graduation.  During the Desert Storm war in 1991, Marv was called up to active duty and proudly returned to active duty serve his country.  Marv served in the U.S. Army Reserves for 31 years, retiring as a Captain in the 5501 Hospital Unit at Fort Snelling, Minnesota.    Marv was very moved by the veteran’s tribute provided by Mayo Hospice veteran volunteers during the last week of his life.  He has a paver in his honor at the Soldiers Field Veterans Memorial in Rochester.

Marv taught and coached at both the high school and middle school levels.  His first teaching job was in Karlstad, Minnesota where he taught social studies while also coaching football and basketball.  He later taught and coached football and basketball in Little Fork, Minnesota and Grand Forks, North Dakota.  In 1969, Marv and Kathy moved to Rochester, Minnesota where Marv taught and coached football and basketball ­­­­at Central, Willow Creek, and Kellogg Junior High Schools.  He also coached basketball at Mayo High School.  Marv went on to earn his Master’s Degree from Winona State University and his Education Specialist Degree from the University of Minnesota.  Marv was a lifetime member of the NEA, as well as a member of both the REA and MEA.  Marv really enjoyed seeing his former students and visiting with them.  After he retired from teaching, he often worked as a substitute teacher in the Rochester School District and in Phoenix, Arizona.

Marv was a wonderful husband and father.  He loved following his children’s sports including swimming, figure skating, hockey, soccer, tennis, dance, basketball, and football.  Whether it was traveling to the University of Wisconsin to watch Kerry’s football games or to the University of Georgia to see Kelly and Coco’s basketball games, Marv and Kathy never missed a game.  He loved watching Kelly and Coco play in the WNBA and enjoyed traveling to Russia, France, and Turkey to follow their basketball careers.  Marv treasured his time with his grandchildren whether it was playing ball with them, demonstrating his card tricks, telling jokes or attending their sports and activities.  He loved his coin collection and miniature classic car collection.

The Miller Family would like to thank Dr. Joseph Rubin, Jessica Mitchell, CPN, all the nurses on Mayo Gonda 10, Mayo Hospice nurses Joan and Jackie, and Mayo Hospice Chaplain Kate Piderman for their wonderful care and compassion.  A special thank you to the staff of St. John’s Catholic Church particularly Monsignor Mahon, Father John Lasuba, Wanda Murphy and Brian Kusek.

On-line condolences are welcome at www.mackenfuneralhome.com.