Truman Miller - Obituary

ruman Winthrop Miller II, 70, died May 28 of respiratory failure after having lived a full life for more than eight years with metastatic colorectal cancer. His illness never stopped him from doing anything on his wish list. Born in Raleigh, N.C. on May 19, 1942, he was the son of Marie M. Miller and the late Truman W. Miller. He earned his undergraduate degree from East Carolina University in Greenville, N C., where he was a member of Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity. His interest in flying became evident at seven years young. Instead of a tree fort, his father transported a real BT airplane, once used to train pilots during WWII, to the back yard of the family's home. Truman and his buddies played endessly. By the age of 19, Truman had become one of the youngest commercial pilots. He fulfilled his military obligation and was hired by United Airlines in 1964. He and his wife, Kathleen "Kathy" Torrance Miller, moved to Annapolis in 1977 to satisfy Truman's desire to live in a waterfront home, and enjoy labrador retrievers. During the course of his career, he piloted almost every model of plane used by United Airlines, including the DC-8, DC-10, B-737, B-727, and B-767. In addition, he had the privilege of flying an inaugural flight of the B-777. The last eight years of his career, he flew B-747-400 to Asia. After traveling the world, he retired in 2002. Walking the Appalachian Trail was one of Truman's many achivements. He was an avid sportsman, enjoying small and big game hunting, and fishing, as well as an accomplished boater and sailor. A long standing member of the Bellefonte Hunt Club in Blackstone, Va, he was also a member of the Safari Club International, Ducks Unlimited, Miles River Yacht Club, NRA, and the Chatterbox Club in D.C. When Truman wasn't flying, Kathy and he traveled to many exotic places. Truman was known for his love of life, as he was always smiling, didn't know a stranger, talked to everyone, and was the first to laugh at his own jokes. His labs, Buddy and Scarlett, were always by his side. He will be missed. Survivors in addition to his wife, Kathy, include his mother, Marie M. Miller of Lakeland, Fl.; two sisters, Carolyn M. Oglesby (Lee) of Lakeland Fl., and Patricia (Patsy) M. Moore of Greenville, N.C; nephews Dr. Jeffrey M. Moore, Charles H Moore II, and Jason Oglesby; and one niece, Caroline Bevington (Josh). There will be a gathering of friends from 4 to 7 p.m. on Saturday, June 9, at Kalas Funeral Home, 2973 Solomon's Island Rd., Edgewater. A Celebration of his Life will be scheduled at a later time. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that memorial gifts be directed to Dr. Nilo Azad's colorectal research at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center. Please make checks payable to The Johns Hopkins University with a memo indicating that this gift is in memory of Truman W. Miller II, and mail to the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center, 100 North Charles St., Baltimore, Md. 21201. It was Truman's desire to donate his body to science in an effort to help with cancer research.