Dave Miller, 2007
The 2020 Masters Golf Tournament in Augusta, Georgia, played in November this year but traditionally played in the spring, brought to mind our visit with Dave and Barbara Miller in March, 2007. The Miller residence, in nearby Aiken, South Carolina, was over-run with pets, filled with laughter and ablaze with pink azaleas and white dogwood trees, as shown in the photos below.
Dave Miller was a memorable classmate and fellow Boy Scout, mainly because of his sense of humor. So, I made a point of staying in touch by telephone as the years went by. During his career with the Social Security Administration, Dave was assigned to handle inquiries and complaints referred by Members of Congress; the stories were hilarious.
Dave gave us the cook’s tour: charming, historic downtown Aiken, the hospital – where Barbara was the risk manager; her advice, “Stay out of hospitals;” and the Aiken Time Trials complex, a racing event for 2 year-old thoroughbreds, which I had attended when I was stationed at Fort Gordon, GA.
Dave’s gray dog Dave’s cat Dave’s black dog
Three years later, Dave moved on to the next chapter.
You never know . . . when it’s time to go . . . or the value of a visit during a very full trip.
Lee and Shelley Ayres, Dave Miller
Through the years after East High, Dave and I moved from one location to another with the goverment. We exchanged emails and we occasionally were together during visits to Wichita. After retirement my travels took me to Jeckyll Island, GA for one of my “winter seasons.” Dave was just relocating and his wife was promoted to a nursing director’s position at a hospital in another city. Dave had decided that might be a good opportunity for us to get together again, considering I was planning to go south into Florida about that time to visit Rick Mittelstadt whose cancer returned. Events have a way of overtaking plans and his wife’s relocation delayed our visit. The rest is history. We didn’t get our visit together for fly fishing. He departed this life while caring for his beloved grandkids at his home, I was told. I hold him dear for his long loyal friendship and as Lee said, his wonderful sense of humor exemplified so many times. During his days in Topeka he had worked for an funeral home and his unabashed humor filled the stories, which I couldn’t do justice by retelling, but together with Tom Hutchinson, Rick Mittelstadt and me Dave sitting around telling stories, he would laugh practically in tears as he told us those stories. Rest in peace dear friend.