Donald "Verne" Miller

1927 - 2019

Donald Verne Miller died on July 2, 2019, in Moses Lake. He was born August 5, 1927, in Joyce, on the Nordstrom Ranch. His aunt, Ida Anderson, and grandmother, Anna Nordstrom, delivered him.

Verne's father, David Donald Samples, died when Verne was very young. He enjoyed the family farm, where he lived with his grandmother, and helped with the milking, brought in the hay, packed water and chopped and stacked the wood.

He lived on the farm until 1939, when his stepfather, Luther D. Miller, bought 40 acres on Piedmont Road in Joyce. It was here that Verne started his life in the woods, beginning as a "whistle punk." He grew up with his two half-siblings, Anna Betty Lou and John Luther.

Verne joined the Navy in 1943 and did tours of duty in Saipan and Guam as a hospital corpsman second class. After returning home, he joined the Marines in 1944 and worked his way up to a seaman third class. He was honorably discharged on July 26, 1948.

He worked in Alaskan logging camps, Hollis and Thorne Bay, on Prince of Wales Island from 1952 through 1969, where he did everything from setting chokers, to chasing, scaling, bucking and falling. National Geographic showed him falling a tree in a 1960 piece that featured Alaskan loggers.

Verne married his first wife, Jane Miller, twice: once in 1951 and again in 1962. They divorced in 1960 and again in 1976. They had three children, Michele Christine Miller, Melvin Luther Miller, and Melissa Anne Miller.

Verne returned to Port Angeles and continued to work in the timber industry until 1983, when he injured his right hand.

On June 4, 1977, Verne and Dona (Tucker) Hereld were married. She had four children from a previous marriage; what a big, happy family!

From 1985 until his retirement in 1990, Verne worked for the Port of Port Angeles. He was a part of the Port Angeles and Forks Masons for 40 years, where he was a past master and a past patron of the Port Angeles Eastern Stars.

In 2007, Doña and Verne moved to Moses Lake, to be near family. He enjoyed the small country setting, helping the neighbors and caring for the animals. He continued to cut wood and visit shut-ins as long as he was able. Verne also enjoyed weekly coffee with a men's church group.

Verne was a beloved father, neighbor and friend to all. If a friend or stranger knocked on the door during the dinner hour, he'd say to pull up a chair and join the family at dinner. He was a very funny man, telling a new joke to whomever he was conversing. A master of Yahtzee and Cribbage, he knew all the rules, even after he lost his eyesight to macular degeneration. Family members consulted him regularly when they forgot.

Verne was preceded in death by his parents, Lou and Mabel Miller; his sister and brother-in-law, Betty (Ralph); and daughters, Sandy Hereld (Brie Gyncild) and Vivian (Kevin) Belcher.

He is survived by his wife, Doña Miller; his brother, John (Amy) Miller; his children, Michele Miller, Mel (Char) Miller, Melissa Miller, Pete (Liz) Hereld, and Mindy (Chuck) Page; several nieces and nephews; 17 grandchildren, 16 great-grandchildren, and 3 great-great-grandchildren.

In lieu of flowers, please make a contribution in Donald Verne Miller's name to the Order of Eastern Star, Esther Chapter 19 Scholarship Fund, 622 S. Lincoln St., Port Angeles, WA 98362.