Marshall Ray Miller, formerly of Morgantown, died Friday, January 16, 2025, in his family’s home in Seabrook, N.H. He was born January 3, 1940, in Junior, to the late Arthur Clifton and Reta Bibey Miller.
As one of six children, Marshall spent his early years swimming in the Monongahela River, playing softball in Booth and National, and hunting around Cheat Lake and Cooper’s Rock. At Morgantown High School he learned to pole vault, excelled in natural sciences, and met the love of his life, Diana Bower.
After graduation in 1958, he began working for Allegheny Airlines in Washington, DC until being drafted into the United States Army in September 1963. There, Marshall served in heavy machinery and transportation units, receiving commendation in carbine and rifle marksmanship.
Marshall and Diana were married at Spruce Street United Methodist Church in April 1964, and, upon discharge from the Army, Marshall returned to airline work. They relocated to Pennsylvania and he began working at Pittsburgh International Airport. They welcomed their son, Eric, in 1966, and then daughter, Dawn, two years later. Marshall continued to advance at Allegheny Airlines, and eventually led the Material Control Unit there, initiating the airline’s Borrow/Loans Program and coordinating repairs and maintenance on the airline’s fleet. He was a dedicated and efficient manager of systems and people and enjoyed many years of rewarding work and rich friendships there. One of his professional joys was to give his team a challenge and then be surprised by their ingenuity in solving it. He often said that his most important job was hiring the right people.
He surrounded himself with great people in his home life, too, and was blessed with countless friends. He was generous to a fault and often joked about the number of cars he’d given away. His friends and family filled his life: golfing, boating, fishing, gathering black walnuts, finding kites and model rockets, gardening, metal detecting, and more. The New Year’s Eve parties at the Millers were legendary and supplied stories and jokes for years; people knew where to go to find a warm welcome, a cold drink, and a listening ear. (And maybe a car.)
He retired from USAirways in 2004 and he and Diana moved to Florida. They built a home and enjoyed coastal life: surf fishing, seafood, camping, golf carting and sunset whiskey shots at the pier. His next adventure came in 2009 with the birth of his grandson, Sam. Marshall and Sam were best buddies; “rassling,” cannon balls and candy bar bites with their little one helped heal Marshall and Diana’s hearts following the loss of their son, Eric, in 1991.
Marshall and Diana moved to Seabrook, N.H. in 2018 to be closer to their family, and Diana was diagnosed with leukemia in 2020. Marshall was steadfast in his care for his wife, doing housework, driving her to appointments and pouring her wine. He supplied neighbors with tomatoes from his garden, grew grapes and raspberries for Diana, and waved at every driver while out for his daily walks. He was holding Diana’s hand when she passed on in May, 2024.
The following July, Marshall was diagnosed with lung cancer and spent the summer visiting family, gold panning in Alaska, and reconnecting with old friends. In January of 2025, he chose to enter hospice care at home and spent his final days with people who loved him dearly including Barbara, Joe and Joey Miker and Mark and Katie Potvin.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Diana; son, Eric; and siblings, Patricia Dadich and Richard Miller.
He is survived by daughter and son-in-law, Dawn and Michael Jorgensen and grandson Sam; and siblings, William Miller of Elkton, Va., and Sandra Cuddy of Cedar City, Utah.
