David Miller

Dr. David Radford Miller died on Sunday, October 24, 2010, at age 87. He was born on September 29, 1923 in Webster Groves Missouri to parents Hazel and Oliver Miller.

He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Betty Jean Jackson Miller. Surviving children are Susan, Gregory, Jeffrey, and Alison. Susan and husband Mark Fitzwilliam are parents of Ben and Joe and live in Wheat Ridge, Colorado. Gregory and wife Diana Lee Crumby Miller are parents of Kari (married to James Shepherd), Eric, Grant and Scott and live in Houston, Texas. Jeffrey and wife Lilli Ann Barrios Miller are parents of Jonathan, Jennifer, Daniel, Catherine, and Christina and also live in Houston, Texas. Alison Miller Clay lives with her children Kyle, Bryn, and Kenyan in Vacaville, California. Also surviving David is his sister, Dr. Marian Hamburg of San Diego, California and her two daughters, Jean Hamburg of Marblehead, Massachusetts, and Jackie Hamburg Pepper of Mountain View, California. Gloria Jackson Barcomb is a surviving sister-in-law residing in Nixa, Missouri.

Dr. Miller attended schools in Webster Groves, Missouri, and graduated from Washington University with a degree in Chemical Engineering in 1944. He served during World War II as Lt. JG in the Navy aboard the destroyer USS Robinson. After the war, he obtained a Masters degree in Chemical Engineering from M.I.T. and went to work at Monsanto Chemical Company in Dayton, Ohio and St. Louis, Missouri. Feeling the need for further education in his research field he obtained a P.H.D. in Chemical Engineering from Purdue University. He returned to Monsanto’s division of Chemical and Nutritional research in St. Louis for 35 years. Projects he was involved with were: Skydrol, a fire-resistant hydraulic fluid for airplane use and Alimet, a poultry food supplement. After taking early retirement he became active as a volunteer with the Braille Institute in Kirkwood, Missouri, where he established a website for those who worked with the blind. Also, he developed and maintained a website for his destroyer, the USS Robinson and actively participated in the yearly reunions. Other meaningful activities to Dave during these years were: weekly church meetings as a member of the "Nifty Fifties"- a repair and fix-up group which coupled work with fellowship, monthly meetings with high school buddies, weekly meetings with Monsanto friends, lunch and local trips with a neighborhood group "The Silver Robbins", made his retirement years pleasant ones. He loved sailing trips to the BVI and yearly family reunions with his children and grandchildren. He considered his family his greatest blessing and their well-being uppermost in his mind.

The memorial service for Dave will be on November 13, 2010 (11 AM) at Mt. Zion United Methodist Church, 1485 Craig Rd., St. Louis, Missouri. In lieu of flowers the family asks that donations be given to one’s charity of choice.

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