Cyril "Cy" D. Miller

Cyril (Cy) D. Miller 8/10/1924 3/3/2016 Cy was a loving and beloved family man and member of the Cortez community. The second oldest of five brothers, Cy was born in South Dakota to Frank and Elizabeth Miller and grew up on a farm near Roswell, South Dakota. He spoke often of his farm youth during the dust bowl and depression times of the 1930's. He enlisted in the Army during WWII and served as a tank crewman in the European Theater of Operations. He was one of the first to cross the Rhine river at Remagena key milestone in the war. He and his tank crew endured intense fighting after crossing the Rhine including the destruction of their tank during a battle with a German tank. As he put it: "the Army gave us another tank and we went on and won the war". He was a proud member of the VFW for over 60 years. After the war he went to work for Gage Brothers Concrete Products in Aberdeen and Sioux Falls, South Dakota and rose to become general managera post he served in for many years until his retirement. On his retirement the Governor of South Dakota issued a proclamation declaring Cy Miller day. He was very proud of the products that the company producedconcrete products for general construction and pre-stressed products for bridges and large buildings. Where ever he traveled he made it a point to visit buildings that the company had provided materials for. He married his wife Phyllis in 1951 and together they raised three children in Sioux Falls. He was a devoted family man and would go to any length to support family members in troubling times and in all their endeavors. He was a lifelong sports fan and an avid hunter and fisherman. After his retirement Cy and Phyllis lived in New Mexico and Texas for short times before settling in Cortez. He was an active community member and spent much of his time as a volunteer literacy tutor. By his request, his ashes will be scattered in a favorite South Dakota lake. He was preceded in death by his parents, his wife Phyllis and brothers Gerard, Buell, and Marlo. He is survived by his daughters Ann of Cortez and Laurie of Tyler, Texas; his son Chuck of Oceanside, California; his brother John of Sioux Falls, South Dakota; grandchildren Chris, Matthew, Joshua and Lloyd and great-grandson Michael.