Donald J. Miller Sr.

Donald J. Miller Sr., 87, of Thompson, passed away peacefully Monday afternoon, May 17th, 2021 at the Geneva Shores Skilled Nursing. He was born in Erie, PA on February 18th, 1934 to the late Harold W. and Helen M. (Whalen) Miller. Don is once again reunited with his high school sweetheart and loving wife of 63 years, Gertrude Miller, who died June 25, 2017. 

He was a professional, over-the-road truck driver for 35 years, accumulating slightly more than 2.75 million miles of driving throughout the United States, awarded for no accidents during those years. Don had a special talent of making people smile, gaining notoriety as a skilled cartoonist as he always drew cartoons on napkins for every person he met at truck stops. 

Don was a disciplined self-taught philosopher who enjoyed starting conversations with just about anyone and had a knack for getting anyone to open up no matter who they were. He sought for the good in everyone he met. He also enjoyed any type of word games or crossword puzzles that helped improve his knowledge.

Don was military veteran and passionately proud of his military service to his country, serving in the U.S. Air Force for 4 years. He was highly supportive of Public Safety and Veterans. 

Though the Covid pandemic limited precious time with Don’s family getting to visit him, the family is grateful for the kind, compassionate staff at Geneva Shores Skilled Nursing. Don’s quality of life was clearly enhanced as a resident there. As Don always said, “I love you, I’m proud of you, I believe in you. I’m the richest man in the world because of my family”.

He will be missed by: his children, Donald (Suzette) Miller Jr., Tom Miller, Gary Miller, Paul Miller, Judy (Jim House) Russell, Erik (Rachelle Scibana) Miller, Toran Miller; several grandchildren and great-grandchildren; and many friends.  

A CELEBRATION OF LIFE MAY BE HELD AT A LATER DATE. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that contribution in Don’s memory be made to Feed Our Vets, Ashtabula, 433 Center St., Ashtabula, Ohio 44004 or by visiting https://feedourvets.org/ashtabula.

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