William "Bill" David Miller

William “Bill” David Miller, 93, passed away peacefully at Heisinger Bluffs West in Jefferson City on January 15, 2024, with family at his side.

Bill was born January 31, 1930, in St. Louis to Grover and Mabel (Sweetin) Miller. His family moved to Steelville, Missouri, while he was young. Bill graduated from Steelville High School in 1948, where he was active in multiple sports and served as senior class vice president. 

Upon graduation, Bill joined the United States Air Force. On January 2, 1955, he married Leah Geraldine “Gerry” Sullinger of Belle, a marriage that lasted almost 66 years until Gerry’s death December 26, 2020. Bill and Gerry raised two children, Lisa (Brad) Scroggs, Jefferson City, and David Miller, Bland, both of whom survive.

While a navigator in the Air Force, Bill served in the Korean and Vietnam wars and as an instructor when he returned stateside. A recipient of the Distinguished Flying Cross and many other honors, his career spanned 26 years, and he retired as a Lieutenant Colonel in 1974. Upon retiring, he and his family moved to Belle and built a home near Cooper Hill, where Bill and Gerry lived until moving to Heisinger Bluffs Riverview in Jefferson City in 2019. During his civilian years, he worked as a project planner for Wisch and Vaughn Construction (WAVCO) in Jefferson City and was civically active in Belle and Osage County, serving on the Maries County R-II school board and as an election polling volunteer in Cooper Hill. He also shared his love of baseball and his expertise in the sport by coaching several youth league baseball teams over a 30-year span.

Bill was preceded in death by his wife, Gerry; parents, Grover and Mabel; brother Don Miller, Brinson, Georgia, and his sisters Jane Cook, St. Louis, Leona Blanchard, Nixa, Betty Hanson, St. Louis, and JoAnn Howard, Benbrook, Texas. He is survived by his children, Lisa and David; grandsons Skyler (Ashley Douglas) Miller, Massachusetts, Cole (Corrie) Scroggs, Jefferson City, Kyle (Samantha Blanco) Scroggs, Jefferson City, and Logan (Rebekah) Miller, Fayetteville, North Carolina; great-grandchildren Allis, Ella, and Owen Miller of Linn and Briar Scroggs of Jefferson City; and several nephews and nieces.

Funeral services will be on Saturday, January 27, 2024 at Sassmann's Chapel in Belle beginning at 11:00 a.m. Interment with full Military Honors will follow at College Hill Cemetery near Belle.

Expressions of sympathy may be made to the charity of the donor’s choice. 

Arrangements are under the direction of Sassmann’s Chapel, Belle, MO. (859-3712)

www.sassmannschapel.com

Note: this obituary has been updated since it's original posting and the service times have been changed due to the weather. 

Note: Services have been postponed due to the weather. New times have been posted .