Eldon "Butch" Miller

Eldon L. (Butch) Miller, son of Ellsworth J. "Mike" and Hilda B. Merklein Miller, was born in Stuttgart, Kansas on April 25, 1940, and died at the age of 74 after a long battle with cancer. He attended grade school in Stuttgart, Kansas, graduated from high school in Phillipsburg, Kansas, then immediately enlisted in the Navy. On June 15, 1963 he was united in marriage to Beverly Cole at the Grace Lutheran Church in Englewood, Colorado. To this union three daughters were born: Kelly, Amy, and Wendy. Butch served in the Navy for 4 years aboard the USS Kitty Hawk. After being honorably discharged he returned to Kansas and worked for Winchell’s, Inc. and then became an oil field pumper up until one and a half months before his death. He retired in May, 2007 from K-N Energy, where he worked for 13 years. He also served on the Kansas Biggest Rodeo Committee for 23 years. Butch enjoyed spending time with family, camping, fishing, hunting and woodworking, but most of all making his famous Kraut. After his retirement from K-N Energy he devoted a lot of time helping remodel the Stuttgart School House, where he attended school as a boy and which is now called the Stuttgart Community Center, Inc. Preceding him in death were his parents, grandchildren Johnny & Lauren Shaw, and father-in-law Eugene Cole. Survivors include his wife, Beverly of the home; three daughters: Kelly Bohl and husband, Doyle, of rural Phillipsburg; Amy Stephen and husband, Gary, of Phillipsburg; and Wendy Shaw and husband, J.P., of rural Glade; a sister, Shirley Vanderplas (Billye) of Phillipsburg and a brother, Lannie Miller (Judy) of Lake View, Iowa; mother- in-law, Della Cole of Englewood, Colorado; six grandchildren: Tyler and Courtney Bohl, Skylar and Karlye Stephen, and Whitney and Maggie Shaw; as well as many nieces, nephews, great nieces, great nephews and cousins. Butch will be greatly missed by his family and many, many friends.

Cremation was chosen. Memorial services will be held Friday, November 14, at 2:00 p.m. in the Emmanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church in Stuttgart, KS with Pastors Joel Hiesterman and George Candea-Kromm officiating. Inurnment will follow in the Emmanuel Lutheran Cemetery, Stuttgart, with military honors by the U. S. Navy.