David Lee Miller

ELKHART - David Lee Miller, 62, of Elkhart, was called home to be with his Lord and Savior on Sunday, May 23, 2021, at Elkhart General Hospital, with his wife and daughters at his side.

Dave was born on June 8, 1958 in South Bend to the late Robert L. and Geneva (Larimer) Miller. He met and married his true love and best friend Connie C. Weaver on July 12, 1980 in Elkhart. They built a wonderful life together with their three daughters, Heidi Miller, Julie (David) Swihart, Amy (Jonathan) Ellis; seven loving grandchildren; and brothers Kenneth (Maryalice) Miller, Bob Miller, and Bill (Nancy) Miller; as well as two nieces and six nephews.

After graduating from Purdue University in 1979, Dave became a commercial artist and partner at The Master's Touch studio for 19 years. Dave served as an Elkhart city councilman before being elected mayor of the city of Elkhart, a position he held for two terms from 2000 to 2007. He loved Elkhart and was passionate about using his visionary leadership to build a "city for life," a city for families to call home. His constant motto was "I live to serve," and he embodied that in his dedicated public service and in his every interaction. Dave later worked for Horizon Transport and then built and ran another transport company called CWRV, before semi-retiring in 2017. Most recently he was a school bus driver for Concord Community Schools. He was also an active member at River Oaks Community Church and the president of the board at Faith Mission.

Dave loved God, loved his family and loved people. The love and kindness he extended to others was an overflow of his faithful walk with the Lord, as was his cheerful, positive spirit. He lived life on purpose and with enthusiasm, always seeking to leave people more encouraged and uplifted through each conversation. Every person he met was someone with a story to tell - a story he found fascinating and worth writing down in one of his many notebooks. He endeavored to make anyone who crossed his path feel seen, heard and valued. His impact here on earth made an impact for eternity, and all who knew him will be forever grateful to have called him friend.

Services celebrating the life of Dave Miller will begin at 4 p.m. on Saturday, June 12, at First Baptist Church, 53953 C.R. 17, Bristol, IN 46507. Friends may visit with the family from 6 to 8 p.m. on Friday, June 11, and 1 to 4 p.m. on Saturday at the church. His son-in-law David Swihart will officiate. Per his wishes, cremation was chosen under the care of Billings Funeral Home, Elkhart. Burial will be private at Prairie Street Cemetery.

The family kindly request memorials in Dave's name be given to either Faith Mission of Elkhart, 801 Benham Ave., Elkhart, IN 46516 or RETA Pregnancy Clinic & Family Resources, 300 W. High St., Elkhart, IN 46516.

To share a memory or condolence with Dave's family, kindly visit www.billingsfuneralhome.com. The family would also love to collect your memories on video, so if you are willing to share your stories of Dave on a video and upload it to Dropbox or Google Drive, you can then send that link to the following email address: mrdavidlmiller@gmail.com. Thank you so much for helping the family to capture the legacy of their beloved husband, father, and grandfather - a man whose impact will long outlive him.