William “Bill” R. Miller, 93, died on March 14, 2026, at the University of Vermont Medical Center. He was in hospice care after experiencing a series of falls.
Bill was the youngest child of Steven James Miller and Laura Clementine Grubb. He was born and raised in the Delta region in Gunnison, Miss. His family later moved 83 miles away to Arkabutla, Miss., where Bill graduated from Arkabutla High School in 1950. In 1952, Bill enlisted in the United States Air Force, where he proudly served for over 20 years. In the first part of his Air Force career, Bill served as a weapons control system technician working on fighter planes, including the F-86, F-89 and the F-101. The many hours spent working on noisy flight lines contributed to the acute hearing loss he experienced later in his life.
Bill spent the last part of his military career working in electronics. He was proud to have been a part of the military’s shift from vacuum tubes to transistors in electronics control systems. In 1960 he was part of a new group of airmen to set up one of the first Precision Measurement Equipment Laboratories (PMEL) in the Air Force. He also spent time teaching new recruits math and the fundamentals of electronic systems. After retiring from the Air Force and moving to Vermont, Bill had a second career working for the General Electric Company, Aircraft Equipment Division, in Burlington. He worked for 15 years as a supervising specialist in process control and quality appraisal electro mechanical.
In 1973, right before his retirement, Bill received the Department of the Air Force Commendation Medal. The citation accompanying the award — which Bill would be honored to have repeated here — states:
Master Sergeant William R Miller distinguished himself by meritorious service as Work Center Supervisor and as Chief of Quality Control for the Precision Measurement Equipment Laboratory, 60th Avionics Maintenance Squadron, Travis Air Force Base, California, from 2 August 1970 to 31 January 1973. During this period, Sergeant Miller’s outstanding professional skill, knowledge, and leadership aided immeasurably in identifying problem areas in the Precision Measurement Equipment Laboratory, and in effectively implementing methods of solving these problems. The distinctive accomplishments of Sergeant Miller culminate a distinguished career in the service of his country and reflect credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.
Bill’s military career sent him — and usually his family — all over the world; serving in Texas, Vermont, North Carolina, Iceland, Iowa, Montana, North Dakota, Colorado, Germany, California and others. While serving at the (then) Ethan Allen Air Force Base in Winooski, Vt., Bill met the love of his life, Irene (Lariviere) Miller from Burlington, Vt. They were married 68 years before Irene’s passing in 2024. Bill and Irene bought a house and settled in Essex Junction with their three sons after Bill’s retirement from the Air Force. They lived in that same house for the next 50 years and made many friends in their neighborhood. They liked taking car trips to Florida, Maine and Canada. Bill loved working in the yard and taking good care of his house. For most of his life, Bill did all the maintenance and repairs on the inside and outside of his home. He was a lifelong and committed do-it-yourselfer and did all the service work on his vehicles to keep them in tip-top shape. Bill resided at the Maple Ridge Lodge Assisted Living community in Essex Junction for the last year of his life. A few of his friends there were also retired military veterans.
Bill loved to tell stories about his father, his youth and his military travels. He often told one memorable story about one of his older brothers and his brother’s friend. They liked to play on the logs in the backwaters of the Mississippi Delta. One day they decided it would be fun to use one of the logs like a raft and shoot over to the other side of the river. When they finally made it across, they found the current had carried them two miles downstream and to the Arkansas side of the river! The problem was, they now had to get back to the other side of the river — where they had left all their clothes. They were “buck naked!” They eventually were able to walk and swim back to the other shore while using the weeds along the river for cover. They arrived home covered in mosquito bites. Bill laughed loudly every time he told this story about his brother.
Bill was predeceased by his wife, Irene (Lariviere) Miller; his sister, Frances LaFont; his brothers, Steve Miller and Gene Miller; and his son Michael Miller.
Bill is survived by his son William Miller (Jr.) and his wife, Terry Miller; his son David Miller and his spouse, Crystal McCallen; seven grandchildren, 11 great-grandchildren; and many special nieces and nephews.
Bill was pleased and gratified with his conversion to Catholicism. On March 30, 1991, the Holy Family Parish in Essex Junction, Vt., in the diocese of Burlington, Vt., joyfully welcomed Bill into the Roman Catholic Church. On that day Bill was baptized, confirmed and received Holy Communion for the first time. Bill and Irene were active members of the parish for many years.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Wednesday, July 15, 2026, 11 a.m., at Holy Family Church, 4 Prospect St., Essex Junction, VT 05452. Burial will immediately take place at Resurrection Park Cemetery, 200 Hinesburg Rd., South Burlington, VT 05403, followed by a return to Holy Family Church for a reception at the church hall. As per Bill’s request, there will be no visiting hours. A.W. Rich Funeral Home in Essex Junction is handling the arrangements. Please visit awrfh.com to share your memories and condolences.
Donations in Bill’s memory can be made to Disabled American Veterans (DAV).
This article appears in July 1 • 2026.