Visitation: Visitation will be Sunday from 3-8 p.m., with family present from 5-7 p.m., at Canton Lutheran Church. A prayer service will be held at 7 p.m.
Service: Funeral services will begin at 11:00 a.m. Monday, December 18, 2017 at Canton Lutheran Church, Canton, SD.
Ward L. Miller, 74, passed away Wednesday, Dec. 13, at Select Specialty Hospital in Sioux Falls surrounded by his loving family. Funeral services will begin at 11:00 a.m. Monday, December 18, 2017 at Canton Lutheran Church, Canton, SD. Visitation will be Sunday from 3-8 p.m., with family present from 5-7 p.m., at Canton Lutheran Church. A prayer service will be held at 7 p.m.
Ward was born October 6, 1943 at Hawarden, IA to Harvey and Polly (Wold) Miller, one of 10 children. He attended Blanchard Country School, rural Hudson and Hudson Public School, graduating in 1961. While in school, he was active in athletics and loved playing football (number “32”). He also played shortstop in softball and was nick-named “Chico”.
Ward married Babe McKee, the love of his life, on December 30, 1960. They made their home in Hudson, where they raised their 5 children. He worked at the Standard Station and Harry Miller Garage, owned Ward’s Rec, and also worked at Napa in Hawarden and Canton. An active member of the community in Hudson, he served on the Volunteer Fire Department and School Board. He and his family moved to Canton in 1984, where he owned and operated Ward Miller Auto Sales and Miller Homes. He also sold real estate for Farm and Home Realty. Ward had a strong faith and was an active member of Canton Lutheran Church.
He enjoyed eating his Wheaties, attending auctions and watching baseball and football, especially the Minnesota Vikings. He was definitely a family man and loved attending his children’s, grandchildren’s and great-grandchildren’s sport events and school activities.
Grateful for having shared his life are: his wife of 57 years, Babe; five children- Rick (Ruth) Miller, Canton, Robert (Renee) Miller, Boca Raton, FL, Roxanne (Steve) Wickre, Hudson, Ryan (Gina) Miller, Algonquin, IL, and Weylin Miller, Canton; sixteen grandchildren- Josh (Jess), Tracy, Kate, Torrance, Rachel (Justin), Andrew, Stephanie (Logan), Sami Jo (Nate), Justyce, Dylan, Alexis, Logan, Jon, Brock, Abby, and Danica; twelve great-grandchildren- Connor, Raider, Allegra, Ryland, Keyan, Rayne, Braxton, Harper, Paislee, Reid, Adilee, and Knox; seven siblings- Butch (Millie) Miller, Judy (Butch) Bakker, Marge (Gene) Baker, Dave (Burnett) Miller, Pam (Ray) Van Overschelde, Peggy Miller, and Laura (Kevin) Nelson; sisters-inlaw- Alma Miller, Karen Miller, and Bev Osterkamp; brother-in-law, Chet McKee; and many other extended family. He was preceded in death by his parents and two brothers, Jerry and Mike. He will be greatly missed by all that knew him.
Babe and family.
You are all in my thoughts and prayers in the loss of Ward. My deepest sympathy is with you all. Amy Roseland
I am truly sorry for your loss. Ward was a great guy in so many ways from the time I knew him in grade school through high school. He was always kind & thoughtful…one in a million. He will be a loss to all who ever met & knew him.
I am so so sorry to hear about your loss. My prayers and thoughts are with all of you. God Bless.
Our condolences to the Miller family on the loss of Ward Miller. May we always enjoy our fond memories we have shared through the years.
Our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family, Babe. So sorry for your loss. Craig and Patty
TJ and I just want to sent our sympathy to you and your family, we always enjoyed visiting with Your Dad and Mom.
Babe, I’m so sorry to hear of Ward’s passing. May God give you the strength to go on and continue to be a blessing for your children and grandchildren. You all have a wonderful guardian angel on your shoulders. Hugs my friend.
Dear Babe and family…So sorry to hear of Wards passing. I knew he had not been well but as always thought he would pull out of it. Ward helped us for many years with affordable cars that were in great shape. I was always proud of that Ward Miller sign on our cars and wasn’t afraid to let anyone know how well he treated us. He will be greatly missed. Our world lost a good man. June and Lyle Devitt
Babe and Miller Family, We are so sorry to hear about Ward. We are keeping all of you in our thoughts & prayers. May God wrap his arms around you all.
So sorry for your loss. I always enjoyed talking with Ward. He will be missed.
So sorry to hear about Ward— Many great memories
Rachel McMurry
John & Catherine McMurry
Carla & Doug McMurry-Kozak
Diane McMurry
Brent & Suzanne McMurry
Renee & Brit McMurry-Gilman
We bought our custom touch house from Ward in 2004 and he was a great man to deal with and truly cared. Ward will be missed by all who knew him.
Thinking of you at this sad time, Hugs and love to your family. Dave & Deb Burdine
I’m thinking of all my Miller relatives on this difficult day. So saddened to hear of Ward’s passing. Dad and I would have really like being there yesterday during the visitation and today at the funeral. Roger looked into flights from McAllen, TX but the connections and prices were terrible this time of year. Dad thought the world of his nephew Ward and was so proud of the way he cared for his wife and family. Whenever there was any kind of Miller gathering, we could always count on Ward and Babe being there. Whenever Dad was in the area, he loved stopping at the dealership or meeting up with Ward at car auctions. We both had a nice conversation with Ward in September when we attended Bill VanMaanen’s funeral visitation. As usual, the two did some reminiscing about younger days on the Miller farm. I heard a couple good stories… Please know that we are with you in spirit and prayer. Please give Babe a big hug from us as well.