R. Duke Miller, 89, of Columbus, Georgia, passed away peacefully on Monday, March 9th, 2015, after a long illness. Born in Jefferson City, TN., his family lived in Virginia, New Mexico, and Texas, before settling in Charleston, WV. He graduated from Illinois’ Northwestern University as senior class President, before serving in the Navy. During college, he was the founding National Chairman of the Collegiate Council of the United Nations, later called the Model United Nations program.
After college, Duke worked on New York City’s Wall Street. An active Young Republicans club member, he chaired Dwight Eisenhower’s first Presidential campaign rally in ’51. Through politics he met his wife, Lois Reichhard Miller. Their family was completed with three children before moving to the Chicago area. Serving as an Elder in Deerfield, Illinois’ First Presbyterian Church, the family’s active membership included choirs, family camps and community service.
Duke’s Midwest business career included senior executive positions with several insurance companies, where he specialized in Sales and Marketing. He founded Guardian Money Management Corp., which developed condominiums in Colorado, and the beautiful Fairmont Hotel on Chicago’s lakefront.
In the late 1970’s, AFLAC brought Duke to Columbus as a Vice President of Sales. His AFLAC career included extended stays in Sydney, Australia, and Winchester, England. Retiring as VP and National Marketing Advisor, he was inducted into the AFLAC Hall of Fame In December 2006.
Duke held trusted leadership positions with many community organizations, including American Cancer Society, Columbus/Ft. Benning; Westville 1850 Village; Columbus International Relations Commission; First Presbyterian Church of Columbus; Columbus National Civil War Naval Museum; Kiwanis Club of Columbus; Girls Incorporated of Columbus; Children’s Tree House; Columbus Hospice, and the Patrons of Music Society Steering committee, CSU Schwob School of Music. He co-founded the R. Duke Miller Charitable Family Foundation, Inc., committed to arts, educational, and health organizations. In 2013, he established the R. Duke Miller Scholarship Endowment at CSU.
His family has been very involved in music and theatre, and enjoyed extensive travel. Duke visited most of the 50 states and many foreign countries. He had a beautiful baritone voice, was a gifted story and joke teller, poet, songwriter and playwright, and had a fantastic sense of humor. He kept everyone around him laughing right up until the end of his long, extraordinary life.
Duke was preceded in death by his parents, three siblings, and his wife of 57 years, Lois Reichhard Miller. He is remembered with love by his fiancée of four years, Mary L. Pierson; his children: daughter, Susan (Miller) Fetcho and husband David Fetcho of Oakland, California; daughter Emily (Miller) Johnson and husband Ralph B. Johnson (Muscogee County Sheriff, retired) of Hohenwald, TN (both formerly of Columbus, GA); son, Craig Montgomery Miller and his wife Judith Danskin Miller of Ontario, Canada; grandchildren Cassady Johnson Einglett (Bradd), and Adam Bricen Johnson (Ashley), and great grand children Chloe Bella Johnson and Ryland Greighson Einglett.
A memorial service will be held on Sunday, March 15, 2015, at 1st Presbyterian Church of Columbus, at 3:00 pm. according to Striffler - Hamby, 4071 Macon Road, Columbus.
The family thanks Duke’s caregivers, Alice Davis, Johnny Pryor, Angela Brown, David Frazier, and Deborah Davis; Spring Harbor Skilled Nursing and Columbus Hospice; and the family of Mary L. Pierson, for their faithfulness, love, and kindness to Duke over his long illness.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Spring Harbor Foundation, or the R. Duke Miller Scholarship Endowment at CSU.
Please sign our online guest registry at www.shcolumbus.com
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