John Henry Miller

SPOKANE - Longtime Great Falls resident John Henry Miller, 80, of Spokane, who opened the first McDonald's franchise restaurant in Great Falls, died of complications from respiratory disease Wednesday at his home.
A celebration of his life is 1:30 p.m. Tuesday at Spokane Cremation and Burial, 2832 N. Ruby, Spokane.
He is survived by his wife of 62 years, Marvlyn "Sandy" Miller of Spokane; three daughters, Pam Stevenson of Ventura, Calif., and Janie Seim and Lou Ann Himel, both of Spokane; a sister, Kay Johnson, of Cheyenne, Wyo.; four grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
John died at his home in Spokane on Dec. 31, 2008, embraced in the loving care of his family, following a long and courageous battle with a respiratory disease. He was born Sept. 20, 1928, to Ray and Mary Miller, on a primitive homestead in the prairie country north of Douglas, Wyo.
In 2003, after retiring from operating McDonald's hamburger restaurants in Great Falls and Missoula, Mont., John and Sandy moved to Spokane in order to be closer to family. However, no matter how strong John's family bonds might have been, his pioneer heritage and cowboy lifestyle, characteristic of Montana, never released their hold on him. He appreciated all that Spokane had to offer, and cherished the relationship with his family, but his heart remained in the rustic mountains, rivers and prairies of Montana. He was an avid outdoorsman who loved fishing, hunting and game tracking in Wyoming, Colorado, Arizona, and, of course, in his beloved Montana. We shared that with him, and all of our family remembers the best times of his life were spent with family at our rustic cabin in the Rockies, at Placid Lake in Montana.
John opened the first McDonald's restaurant in Great Falls, in 1969, and another in Missoula in 1972. This was a pioneering adventure because he was one of the original franchise owners in Montana, and, although hard to believe now, few had heard of such a thing as McDonald's.
Prior to 1969, he worked in the aeronautics industry, performing applications engineering, introducing advanced turbine engines into first-time flight operations in airplanes. This fueled his passion and curiosity for flying.
From a kid raised on a homestead on the prairie, John's accomplishments stand as a monument. They reflect his tremendous energy, creativity and inspired wisdom. We, his family, appreciate that, but, most of all, we will deeply miss and forever cherish our beloved husband, father, grandfather and wonderful friend. He lived and loved well.
John's family expresses their deepest gratitude to his devoted caregivers, Dianna Bieber and Cliff LaRue.
The family also wishes to thank the staff at Hospice of Spokane for their wonderful and unstinting support. Contributions to them in lieu of flowers would be most appreciated. These should be directed to Hospice of Spokane, P.O. Box 2215, Spokane, WA 99210.
Condolences may be posted online at www.gftribune.com/obituaries.