Past District Governor John Miller passes away

With deep sadness, the district passes along news of the passing of Past District Governor John Miller.

John passed away June 26, 2022. He served as District 549 Governor in 1989-90. (District 549 was renamed District 5490 in 1991, and eventually merged with District 5510 to become 5495).

John became a Rotarian first with the Phoenix 100 Club, and eventually transferring to the Rotary Club of Scottsdale, where he remained a member until the end.  He wasn't able, due to health, to attend meetings these past few years so many of you didn't have the privilege of knowing John but he was a Rotarian in true Rotary fashion through and through.
 
John was born Nov. 7, 1932 in Phoenix, to long-time Phoenicians John “Brick” Miller and Joella Coffin Miller.  He had one younger sister, Karen Miller Applewhite, who also recently passed away.  John and Karen had a wonderful childhood growing up in the valley.  He and his family would spend the summers at their cabin in Greer, deep in the White Mountains of Arizona.  John would meet his wife of 68 years, Marjorie while they attended North High School in Phoenix.
  
He would go on to attend the University of Arizona in Tucson, where he was a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity.  John remained a die-hard Wildcat fan his whole life. After graduation he served one tour of duty as a pilot in the United States Air Force where he flew military cargo missions all over the world in the mid-1950s. After he left the Air Force, John worked in the construction equipment business for a time but would soon move on to his long-time career of 35 years as a financial consultant at the brokerage firm Merrill Lynch.  John served as the manager of the first Scottsdale branch of Merrill Lynch when it opened in 1972.  That position would set the tone for his deep commitment to the growth of the Scottsdale and Paradise Valley areas.
 
Just like his father before him, John was a proud member of the Phoenix Thunderbirds.  He rose through the ranks to become Big Chief in 1976.  He and some of the other members of the Thunderbird leadership team worked tirelessly to convince the PGA golf tour to build their new Tournament Players Course (TPC) in Scottsdale and move the Phoenix Open Golf Tournament from the Phoenix Country Club to the newly constructed TPC Scottsdale Golf Course. They worked closely with Scottsdale Mayor Herb Drinkwater and the rest of the Scottsdale City Council to make the move a reality.  The first Phoenix Open Golf tournament contested at the TPC Scottsdale was in 1987. The rest as they say is history.
 
During this time John also was very active in other Scottsdale organizations.  He was the President of the Scottsdale Chamber of Commerce in 1986.  John was also a long time Rotarian.  He served as the President of Rotary Club of Scottsdale in 1983 and as a District Governor of Rotary International in 1989.  As a resident of Paradise Valley, John served one four-year term on the Town Council.  He would then be appointed to the Maricopa County Flood Control district where he served for many years.  He also served on the University of Arizona Foundation Board.
 
John was an avid golfer and loved playing with his family, and his fellow members of the club.  After retirement from Merrill Lynch in 1997, John and Marge would spend most of their time at their home in Pinetop, Arizona where they were members of White Mountain Country Club.  They eventually moved back to Scottsdale in 2020.
 
John is survived by his wife of 68 years Marjorie.  John and Marge are very proud of the large extended families of their four children.  The oldest is Scott, who is married to Patti. Both are members of the Rotary Club of Scottsdale.
 
They have two married adult daughters, Ashley and Katie. Ashley is married to Tucker Blalock and they have 2 children Cash and Kenzie.  Katie is married to Luke Sullivan and expecting their first child, in July.  Daughter Linda is married to Bill Gosnell.  She has two sons, Michael and Robby Robson.  Michael is married to Lauren and they have 3 children, Emma, Ellie and Easton.  Robby is married to Tracey and they have one daughter Madison. The next oldest is Craig who is married to Sandy. 
 
The youngest is John III who is married to Buffi.  They have one adult daughter Jennie. 
 
The Miller family will hold private funeral ceremonies, but will welcome friends and extended family to a Celebration of Life for John at Paradise Valley Country Club on Tuesday, August 2, 2022 from 3 to 5 p.m. in the Ballroom.  The family has requested that in lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Scottsdale Rotary Club Foundation or Salvation Army in John’s name at give.salvationarmyusa.org.