Obituary of Anthony Miller

Anthony Dennis Miller, Lieutenant Colonel USMC (Ret) ~ 7 September 1934 - 19 June 2012 ~ Anthony Miller, Tony to all who knew him, died early Tuesday morning June 19th, at home under the tender care of hospice with his wife of almost 54 years, Bonnie, and his sister, Shirley Schwartz, nearby. Tony was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer in early February and suffered a major heart attack in early March. He fought valiantly to carve out as many "good days" to spend with his family and friends and in his last week to make sure all the necessary affairs were attended to, ensuring Bonnie's future. Tony's life can be summed up in "Duty, Honor, Service, and a bit of mischief for good measure". Anthony Dennis Miller was born 7 September 1934 to Ray Miller and Eileen Godfrey Miller in Marion, NC. He graduated from Gadsden High School, Gadsden AL in 1952. He attended Clemson University before being accepted at the US Naval Academy, graduating with the class of '58. While visiting his sister at Butler University she introduced him to several of her friends. Shirley shared, "Bonnie was a year behind me in school. I met her when I was a counselor at freshman camp. I introduced Tony to several Butler co-eds but Bonnie was the one that clicked." He said, "Sister, the best thing you ever did for me was to introduce me to that cute little Kappa." Bonnie Barcik of Indianapolis caught his eye and stole his heart. They married on July 5th, 1958 shortly after his graduation. They would have celebrated their 54th anniversary next month. After their honeymoon he reported to Quantico, Virginia for the Marine Corps Officers Basic School. "It took me only a few days to realize that you aren't a real lieutenant in the Corps until you complete Basic School", Tony wrote in short biography. From Quantico he reported to Pensacola for flight training. While there Tony and Bonnie welcomed their first child, Jeffrey, into the world. After shuffling between various training command bases he received his wings at Kingsville, TX in September, 1960. He was assigned to MCAS Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii with VMA-212 and VMA-214. While there Bonnie and Tony welcomed their second child, Monica, into the world. After three years in paradise, his next tour was fifteen months as the air liaison officer with an infantry battalion at Camp Pendleton and WestPac. "After I got past the agony of not flying much, I found this to be a rewarding experience which gave me a firm appreciation of the troops that really win our battles." While there, he and Bonnie welcomed their third child, Michael, into the world. He then attended the Navy Postgraduate School, where he and his family enjoyed the Monterey Peninsula and Tony studied and received a Master's Degree in Aeronautical Engineering in March, 1968. From there he went to combat refresher training and he was back at WestPac, where he served as the squadron operations officer with VMA-211. During this time he did a tour in Da Nang, South Viet Nam. He was shot down by enemy ground fire on 20 March, 1969, was rescued, and returned to flying two days later. He flew 323 combat missions over 13 months and was awarded the Purple Heart but would only briefly discuss it and only if you asked direct questions. A friend asked Tony if he ever thought about his ejection when he was shot down. He replied, "Every day." While Tony was serving in Viet Nam their fourth child, Steven, was born. Upon returning, he reported to NAS Patuxent River to attend Test Pilot School and served at the test center. After those "four and a half enjoyable years" he reported to MCAS Yuma VMAT-102 where Tony writes, "I had my most rewarding duty as squadron executive and commanding officer." After Yuma it was back to WestPac to serve as executive officer of MAG-15 at MCAS Iwakuni. For nineteen years he avoided Washington, but as he put it, "all good things do end." In 1977 he reported to Headquarters Marine Corps to" fight the aviation budget and political battles." "After two years of going to work and coming home in the dark, with eyes going down and blood pressure coming up, I decided to retire." In the civilian world Tony worked for Sperry Flight Systems in California and New Mexico and then Harris Corporation in Melbourne, FL. He retired completely in 1994. He and Bonnie decided to stay in FL as they often had two sons, and for a brief time all three, with their families living within 50 miles. Tony and Bonnie spent a minimum of 42 uninterrupted years, and a significant part of their retirement years, attending a myriad of athletic games, recitals, performances, graduations, sending their grandchildren to various camps and providing the cousins opportunities to spend time together. The father who invested time throwing balls with his young sons, attending and coaching his children's games and swim meets, and supporting and encouraging them became the Grandfather who blessed his children and his grandchildren by continuing the legacy into the next generation. Tony loved to tell stories, especially the ones he made up. One of Tony's academy classmates told Jeff, "Your Dad was known to have a high B.S. factor." His children and grandchildren loved hearing stories of his antics as a boy and young man. He loved to play games, especially if he could cheat at them and see if the grandchildren could catch him. He even loved to sit nearby and listen to his children and grandchildren playing games together. He really loved his family and he really loved being a Marine. Tony Miller is survived by his wife, Bonnie, their four children: Jeffrey, Monica, Michael, and Steven; Jeffrey's wife, Deborah, and Steve's wife, Michelle; Nine Grandchildren: Kristofor, Jacquelyn, Amanda, Matthew, Marissa, Alexandra, Jordan, Tyler, and Daryn; and Tony's sister, Shirley Schwartz.