Donald "Don" Miller, 97 of Spearfish, passed away on August 4, 2021 at Monument Health Spearfish.

Visitation will be from 5-7 pm on Wednesday, August 18, 2021 at Fidler-Isburg Funeral Chapel.  Funeral services will be at 10:00 am on Thursday, August 19, 2021 at the funeral chapel with burial at Black Hills National Cemetery with full military honors.  In lieu of flowers, a memorial has been established to benefit Veterans of the United States.

Don was born in 1924 in Valparaiso NE to Harold and Bertha (Marshall) Miller. They then moved to Torrington-Sunrise WY until 1928 when they moved to Lead SD. In 1935, the family moved to Spearfish, it is here that he would call home and make many friends over the rest of his life. He graduated from Spearfish High School where he participated in football, baseball and track. He also helped with the family business, Miller Dairy. In 1943 he was drafted into the Navy. He served his country from 1943 to 1946. In 1946 he was honorably discharged after being on the USS Yorktown overseas in the south pacific.

While in his family's restaurant he met his true love Viola Dorsett who became his wife in 1947. They farmed in Wyoming and started their family. From this union seven children were born. They also spent a short time in Brookings, until Don's father fell ill and they moved home to run the family business, Miller & Sons Sawmill.

Don built the family home with the wood from his sawmill and started with just one room which Viola, three children and himself lived in until he built the rest of the house one room at a time around them. He found wood was what he loved to work with. He is known to many as the "woodman". After the sawmill shut down he went into the woods and logged for many years. He then began to work for Homestake Sawmill until it burned down in 1976. He wasn't ready to retire so he became employed at Homestake Gold Mine for nine years until he retired in 1985. Retirement found him busier than his working years. Many of his customers said the firewood he worked up and split himself was the best.

He was very active in the VFW for many years and served as commander several times.  He loved his country, family and community very much. Some of his most treasured times were dancing, fishing and playing horseshoes at Iron Creek Lake, hunting with his brother, sons and great-grandsons, vacationing in Hawaii, Norther Hills Barber Shop and anything to do with family and friends.

He was preceded in death by his wife of 60 years, Viola Miller, his parents, Harold and Bertha Miller, two sisters, Lola Adam and Betty Goff, one daughter, Joyce Boyer, one son, Jack Miller, five grandsons, one great-grandson and son-in-law, Wayne Boulware.

He will be greatly missed by sons Rob (Carol) Miller of Rapid City, SD, Herb (Laura) Miller of Winona, MN, daughters Linda Boulware of Kingsville, TX, Beth Gross of Sioux Falls SD, Maelynn (Jim)Poitra of Belle Fourche, SD; grandchildren Wade Buchholz of Rapid City, SD, Terry (Barb) Buchholz of Lakeville, MN, Katrina Hughes of Belle Fourche, SD, Lauri Mullins of PA, Jeff Miller of Sheridan, WY, Terry Kennedy of Colorado Springs, CO, Tracy Litzenberger of Bethlehem, PA, Angela Miller of Sheridan, WY, Anthony (Jen) Boulware of New Linden, WI, Lucinda (Jerry) Martinez of Kingsville, TX, Shannon Nordman of Sioux Falls, SD, Kyle Gross of Colorado Springs, CO, Hope (Will) Blinco of Hawthorne, NV, Crysta Oldenburg of Minneapolis, MN, Molly Miller of Wiona, MN, Tristan Miller of New York, NY, TaNikka (Dale) Haggberg Whitewood, SD, Kiara Poitra (Mike), Whitewood, SD; numerous great-grandchildren and great-great grandchildren; and brother George Miller of Piedmont, SD.

The family would like to thank VA's Homebase Program, Heartland Home Health, and Spearfish Monument Hospital staff.

Arrangements are under the care of the Fidler-Isburg Funeral Chapels and Isburg Crematory of Spearfish. Online condolences may be written at www.fidler-isburgfuneralchapels.com