Gregory Stewart Miller

Miller, Ret. Lt. Col. Gregory Stewart 65 March 15, 1946 Oct. 19, 2011 Ret. Lt. Col. Gregory Stewart Miller was born Mar. 15, 1946, in Seattle to Margaret Stewart Miller and Eskridge Sherman Miller. He graduated from Shoreline High School and from the University of Washington with a B.S. in Civil Engineering. While at university he competed with the Rifle Team and joined R.O.T.C. After graduation he was commissioned as 2nd Lt. in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. He was awarded the Ranger and Airborne patches. His first duty was in Berlin shortly after the Wall went up. He then volunteered for a tour of service in Vietnam, after which he went back to Europe for service. He attended Georgia Tech, earning an M.S. in Civil Engineering. He returned to the Northwest and worked on the second powerhouse at Bonneville Dam. He taught Military Science at Tennessee Tech. In Kaiserslautern, Germany, and Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indianapolis, Ind., he served as the Director of Engineering and Housing. He attended the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle, Pa., and the Command and General Staff College at Ft. Leavenworth, Kan. He achieved the rank of Lt. Col. and was awarded the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, Meritorious Service Medal and numerous Commendation Medals. He retired from military service in 1993. After military retirement, Greg was employed by Washington County in the Land Use and Transportation Department. During his tenure he was a Project Manager, Principal Engineer of Capital Projects, Manager of Operations and Washington County Engineer. He retired March 1, 2011. Projects he participated in were the extension of Cedar Hills Blvd., Westside Light Rail and development of transportation and infrastructure for Bethany. He was Oregon County Engineer of the year in 2010. He held leadership positions in numerous public works organizations, was a member of the State of Oregon Prevailing Wage Advisory Committee and served on the Government Affairs Committee at the national level for the American Public Works Association. Surrounded by family and friends, Greg passed away peacefully at home Oct. 19, 2011. He is survived by his wife, Marcia Taft Miller; son, Nikolaos Miller; stepson, David Brown; stepdaughter, Pamela Brown; granddaughters, Mariah and Devin; sister, Ann Grant (Jim); nephew, Joshua Grant; and niece, Shannon Gustafson (Michael) and their children. He was predeceased by his daughter, Ioanna Miller. The most common words to describe Greg by his family, friends and peers are natural leader, witty, dedicated, reliable, thoughtful, amazing, loyal, honorable, flexible, loving and kind, with a sense of strong commitment. A great strength was his ability to find solutions taking into consideration diverse interests, both public and private. He was a steward of the County's 200 bridges and 1,300 miles of roadways and their funding. He held the belief that participating in civics was an honor and an obligation. A funeral will be at 11 a.m. Friday, Nov. 4, 2011, at Riverview Abbey, followed at 12:30 p.m. by a procession to burial in Willamette National Cemetery. There will be a celebration of life from 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 19, at the Columbia Edgewater Country Club.