John Douglas Miller age 88, of Rice Lake, WI died October 20, 2020.

He was born March 5, 1932 to Walter and Norette (Callahan) Miller.  He was raised in Western Springs, Il and was a lifelong Chicago Bears fan.  Following high school graduation, he enrolled in the College of St. Thomas, St. Paul, MN.  During his college years he met his future wife and they were engaged by the time of his graduation in 1954.   After graduation he fulfilled his military duty through service in the U.S. Army.  John always said that his typing skills landed him the best job in the Army as he was stationed in Europe and worked as a court reporter.  On October 8, 1955 John married Roseleen Foley in Darmstadt, Germany where he was stationed.  They spent their first two years of marriage touring Europe before returning to the US and building a life together that would bridge over fifty years. John’s easy smile and excellent people skills helped him to build a successful career as a farm implement salesman. However, his all-time favorite job was his retirement job as a school bus driver for the Rice Lake school district.  He bonded with all his “kids” as he safely transported them year after year. John was an avid outdoorsman who loved hunting and snowmobiling.  He was active in his community through volunteer activities at his church, the Rice Lake Snowmobile club and Habitat for Humanity.  In recent years he suffered from dementia, a disease that robbed him of memories, but never stole his smile or sense of humor.

John was preceded in death by his wife Roseleen, his parents, his sister Norette (Miller) Hackler, brother Richard Miller and daughter-in-law Chrissy Jessee-Miller.  He is survived by his, daughter Maureen (George) Mahowald, and sons Michael (Kathryn) Miller, David (Jean) Miller and James Miller.

John is also survived by eight grandchildren, Eric (Heather) Mahowald, Kathleen (Tom) Broich, Sr. Ann Dominic Mahowald, Steven (Amy) Miller, Hannah Miller, Heidi (Rob) Rousseau, Sarah (Sam) Muthui, and Meghan Miller, as well as eleven great-grandchildren.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held 10:30 AM Friday, October 30, 2020 at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Rice Lake. Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service.  Interment will be at the Northern Wisconsin Veterans Memorial Cemetery. Memorials preferred to Habitat for Humanity or the Alzheimer’s Association.  The family would like to thank the staff at Lake Hallie Memory Care and St. Croix Hospice, for their compassionate care.

Appleyard’s Home for Funerals in Rice Lake, Jon Tillung - Funeral Director is in charge of the arrangements.      

Last Update: Oct 22, 2020 9:59 am CDT