Duane A. Miller, 08 Feb 1948 - 20 Oct 2015

MILLER, KUBEC, PEIFFER, CLEVENGER, BROWER, HEITMAN, ST JOHN, SIEREN, MATHER, PAPESH

Posted By: Sandy Ficken (email)
Date: 11/5/2015 at 14:59:43

BLAIRSTOWN: Duane A. Miller, 67 died Tuesday, October 20, 2015 at the Hallmark Care Center in Mount Vernon following an extended illness.

Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:30 AM, Sat., Oct. 24, 2015, St. John Catholic Church, Blairstown with Fr. Craig Steimel as Celebrant. Interment will be in Pleasant Hill Cemetery, Blairstown. Visitation will be from 4 – 7 PM, Friday at Phillips Funeral Home, Blairstown with a Knights of Columbus Rosary recited at 6:30 PM. A Memorial Fund has been established for the Knights of Columbus Association and the Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration.

Duane was born February 8, 1948 to Maurice and Alvena (Kubec) Miller in Cedar Rapids. He graduated from Blairstown High School with the class of 1966. Duane was united in marriage to Julie Peiffer on May 11, 1968 at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Van Horne.

Duane owned and operated Smokey’s Pizza and also worked for MeToo, Meyer’s Feed and MoorMan’s Feed prior to 1972. In 1972 he began his career as an over-the-road trucker; driving a semi-truck for Umthun Trucking, Decker Trucking, Food-liner and Benton Grain; he retired in 2012. During his trucking career, Duane was a “trucker buddy”. He would write letters to an elementary class in Missouri to let them know where he had traveled. Often the class would write back to him; this program brought Duane joy the many years he participated in it.

Duane was a very active member of St. John Catholic Church in Blairstown, serving on the Church Council and as a Eucharistic Minister. He was also a Fourth Degree Knights of Columbus. In the 1970’s Duane was also a member of the Blairstown Fire Department.

Survivors include his wife, Julie of Blairstown; two sons and seven grandchildren: Brad (Molly) Miller and their children, Mackenzie, Madison and Mason Miller, Jarod, Katy and Jackson Clevenger all of North Liberty and Chad (Carisa) Miller and their son, Aidan all of Van Horne; two sisters, Doreen (Kevin) Brower of Cedar Rapids and Donna (Randy) Heitman of Williamsburg; his brother-in-law, Jim Miller of Vail, Iowa; four sisters-in-law, Joyce St. John of Cedar Rapids, Marilyn (Charlie) Sieren of Keota, Linda (Jack) Mather of Cedar Rapids and Elizabeth “Liz” (Dean) Papesh of Hartwick and many nieces and nephews.

Duane was preceded in death by his parents; his sister, Denise; his brother-in-law, Jim St. John and his mother and father-in-law, Evelyn Sieren and Wilfrid Peiffer.

Phillips Funeral Home
Journal Tribune, 04 Nov 2015, pg 5
Gazette, 24 Nov 2015