Dwain Miller

Dwain “Whitey” Miller, 75, of Oskaloosa, passed away Jan. 29, 2021, at his home in Oskaloosa under Hospice care surrounded by his loved ones. He was born Dec. 12, 1945, in rural Runnells, the son of Everett and Ila (Colyn) Miller. He graduated from the Monroe High School with the Class of 1964. After high school he was drafted into the United States Army. During a 3-day leave from the Army, he was united in marriage to Roxanna “Sue” Maddy on July 2, 1966, in Monroe. To this union four children were born, Todd, Tricia, Tamra and Travis.

After returning home to the United States, Whitey farmed, which was his dream. They farmed in Monroe for one year and then moved to Bussey where they farmed for 15 years. After losing the farms during the farm crisis in 1982, they moved to Oskaloosa where he was a farm manager for McCurdy Farms for 11 years before taking a job at Vermeer in Pella. He remained working there for 16 years until retiring in 2012. Whitey was an active member of the Central United Methodist Church in Oskaloosa and was a member of the Ruritans, the American Legion and served as a trustee at the Nelson Pioneer Farm. Whitey had a love for mowing lawns and helping others. He mowed the church lawn for several years and helped his neighbors and friends with yard work and other projects. He enjoyed attending his children’s and grandchildren’s sporting events, watching the Iowa Hawkeyesball games and was an active supporter of Oskaloosa Indians sports.

His family includes his wife of 54 years, Sue Miller of Oskaloosa; his children, Todd (Amy) Miller of Oskaloosa, Tricia (Robert) Epping of Flower Mound, Texas, Tamra (Dan) Knipp of Waterloo and Travis (Angela) Miller of Oskaloosa; 10 grandchildren, Aaron Epping, Aubrey Miller, Jack Miller, Jarod Miller, Andrew Epping, Tyler Miller, Trey Miller, Madelynn Knipp, Mason Knipp and Allyson Epping. He is also survived by seven siblings, Dwight (Sharon) Miller of Fremont, Dave (Phyllis) Miller of Monroe, Dorothy Allison of Ankeny, Dick (Pam) Miller of New Boston, N.H., Debbie Spurgeon of Ottumwa, Denny (Nancy) Miller of Bussey and Darlene (J.R.) Fritz of Jefferson City, Mo. Whitey was preceded in death by his parents; his nephews, Levi and Zachary Miller; and a brother-in-law, Dean Allison.

A funeral service will begin at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 3 at the Central United Methodist Church in Oskaloosa with pastor Chad Lierman officiating. According to the rules put in place by the Iowa Department of Public Health, proper social distancing and reasonable personal protective equipment is advised for attending a religious public event. The family asks of all who are attending to please wear a mask. The funeral will be posted to the Bates Funeral Chapel’s YouTube page for those unable to attend. The Bates Funeral Chapel is in charge of the arrangements. Visitation will begin at 1 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 2 at the Central United Methodist Church. The family will be present from 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday evening at the church to greet relatives and friends. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Central United Methodist Church or Nelson Pioneer Farm.