Arch J. Miller

DAVIS, HYNES, JACKSON, MILLER, REAMY, RULLMAN, TAYLOR, WALTER, WOOD

Posted By: Cindy Marshall (email)
Date: 12/2/2021 at 20:44:05

Arch J. Miller, son of Clair and Ester (Walter) Miller, was born on March 11, 1938, in Independence, Iowa. Arch died peacefully at home in Vancouver, Washington, on January 9, 2021, from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

On January 19, 2021, a private service was held for Arch at Evergreen Memorial Gardens in Vancouver, Washington. A celebration of his life will be held when we can safely gather. Memorial donations may be made to the Vancouver Rotary Foundation, P.O. Box 1000, Vancouver WA 98666.

Arch grew up in rural Iowa and graduated from Quasqueton High School in 1955. After graduation, he enlisted in the Army, where he was trained to be a heavy equipment operator, stationed in Virginia and Thule, Greenland. However, when his sergeant learned Arch could type, Arch became the company clerk and spent his time in Greenland indoors, rather than on the docks loading ships. It was the start of his entrepreneurial career, as he made extra money by writing letters, shopping, and doing laundry for the dock workers. He also became skilled at card games, eventually leading him to play tournament Bridge.

Upon his honorable discharge from the Army in 1959, Arch attended Weaver Airline School in Kansas City, Missouri. His first job after graduation was in the reservations department at Bonanza Airlines in Ontario, California. There, he met and married Merle Wood, and they had three daughters. Bonanza was purchased by larger airlines and Arch continued with each successor airline, moving up the corporate ladder. He retired in 1979 as senior vice president of sales and marketing for Hughes Airwest, now Delta Airlines.

After retiring from the airline industry, Arch became an airline consultant because, as he liked to say, he had a briefcase. One of his consulting projects was for a startup airline school in Vancouver, Washington. Arch was so excited about the project that he bought it, selling his home in San Mateo, California, and investing the proceeds in the school. The International Air Academy opened its doors in January 1980. The school celebrated its 40th anniversary last year. Over the years, it expanded from training airline personnel to offering programs in culinary arts, wind turbine technology, and railroad operations.

Arch always believed in giving back to his community, and he did so by offering school scholarships to organizations such as the Vancouver School District At Risk Youth program and the Miss Clark County Pageant. He joined the downtown Rotary Club upon moving to Vancouver, serving as president from 1987 to 1988. When Arch married his wife, Nancy, in 1987, he proved his dedication to Rotary by taking her to that year's International Rotary Convention for their honeymoon. He was also board chair of the Greater Vancouver Chamber of Commerce, and received the Vancouver First Citizen award in 1988. He was instrumental in forming the Vancouver Convention and Visitors' Bureau, and served on the Board of Identity Clark County. In 2019, he received the John McKibbin Leadership Legacy Award from the Greater Vancouver Chamber of Commerce for his many contributions to the community.

First elected as a commissioner for the Port of Vancouver in 1990, Arch was re-elected twice, serving a total of 18 years. While serving as a commissioner, Arch was inspired to open the wind technology program at the school as the port became a major destination for imported wind turbines.

While the 1980s were about growing the school, the 1990s were about growing his family. Two more daughters joined the family, along with four grandchildren, all born within a six-year period. Arch's first great-grandchild, a girl, is expected in June.

When he wasn't working at the school or volunteering in the community, Arch enjoyed golfing, fishing, and working in the yard. Although Arch always had enthusiasm for whatever he was doing, his family suspects these activities may have been an excuse to smoke cigars. He shared his passion with his children and grandchildren, caddying for them when they played golf and taking all his grandchildren fishing in Alaska.

Arch was also an avid sports fan, adopting Oregon State as his second favorite college team (he remained an Iowa Hawkeye all his life). Baseball was his favorite sport, and traveling to Omaha, Nebraska, to watch the OSU team win the College World Series in 2018 was a highlight. Arch's idea of a perfect vacation was when he could combine travel and sports. The Winter Olympics in Calgary, Canada, and the Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain, were once-in-a-lifetime trips in a lifetime that included trips to Europe, Australia, China, Russia, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and the Walter Family Fourth of July reunions in Independence, Iowa.

Arch is survived by his wife, Nancy; and five daughters, Lynn Rullman, Cathy Miller, and Christine Miller, all of Vancouver, Suzy Taylor (Jon) of Nashville, Tennessee, and Sally Jackson (Duane) of Long Pine, Nebraska. Arch's surviving grandchildren are Jake Rullman and Jack Taylor of Vancouver, Joel (Hannah) Taylor of Salt Lake City, Utah, and his favorite granddaughter, Victoria Davis of Ceresco, Nebraska. Also surviving Arch are his siblings, Diane Miller of Jesup and Martha Reamy, JC Miller (Patty), and Judy (Jack) Hynes, all of Florida.

Published by Independence Bulletin-Journal on Mar. 8, 2021.