William L. "Bill" Miller

William L. “Bill” Miller, 94, of Rochester, passed away on Wednesday March 30, 2016 at Lewis Memorial Christian Village. He was born on March 27, 1922 in Rochester to John W. and Bertha Blakley Miller. Bill married Esther Alice Rohrer at the Annie-Merner Chapel on the MacMurray College Campus in Jacksonville and she preceded him in death on July 25, 2015.

Mr. Miller is survived by his brother-in-law Oscar (Sharon) Rohrer of Petersburg, sister-in-law Rosalee Preckwinkle of Springfield, thirteen nieces and nine nephews. He was preceded in death by one brother John M. Miller, one sister Frances Beaver, and his niece Connie Beaver Eldridge.

Bill attended Forest Grove School in Rochester and graduated from Rochester High School in 1940. He enlisted in the US Army 106th Cavalry that same year. Bill took basic training at Camp Livingston in Louisiana and Ft. Hood in Texas. Later while at Ft. Dix, New Jersey, his F Troop embarked for Europe where they landed in Scotland. They moved to an army camp in Manchester, England and shortly after D-Day, his squadron landed on Utah Beach. Bill was a tank commander during this time and was on the front line for 257 days. When the war ended, he was in Salzburg, Austria.

After returning home in September of 1945 Bill attended Springfield Junior College for two years and then attended Missouri School of Mines and Metallurgy where he received his Bachelor’s Degree in Chemical Engineering. William was with the Illinois Department of Transportation for seven years after which he was employed by Sangamo Electric. He later returned to the State of Illinois Environmental Protection Agency and then the Department of Public Health retiring in 1986.

A funeral service will be held at 11:00am on Wednesday April 6, 2016 at Bisch and Son Funeral Home, 505 East Allen Street, and the family will meet friends one hour prior to the funeral service. A graveside service will be held at 1:00pm Wednesday April 6, at Waverly East Cemetery, Waverly, IL. Memorial contributions may be made to: the Springfield YMCA, Boy Scouts of America or to Westminister Presbyterian Church, and please visit the online “Life Remembered Story” at www.bischandsonfuneralhome.com.