Clarence Miller

Another of the greatest generation, Clarence Miller of Cape Girardeau, formerly of Mounds, Illinois, passed peacefully Friday, April 8 at age 91.

Clarence honored his country by serving in WWII at the young age of 18. As a combat engineer, he participated in the landing on Utah Beach on D-Day, making sure supplies got to the infantry. He saw much action and hardship during his two-and-a-half years of service as the troops advanced to Germany.

Clarence's life began Aug. 20, 1924, in rural Dongola, Illinois. He worked on the family farm until he left for the war. After WWII, he returned to marry the love of his life, Juanita Ruth Ferguson of Mound City, Illinois, in 1946. Together they raised two sons, Jeffrey and Anthony Blair.

Clarence was very mechanically inclined and skillful. That mechanical inclination was demonstrated early on -- keeping the school buses running at Mound City High School. For many years he owned a welding service and auto repair and body shop and, before retirement, was the plant manager at Ferguson Aluminum Corp. in Olmsted, Illinois.

Over the years he spent his evenings building houses for his family and rental properties. These stand as a tribute to his skill and talents, along with the equipment he built in other endeavors.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Carl and Mae Miller; two brothers, Harley and Robert; a sister, Charlene Murphy; a son, Anthony Blair; and Juanita.

He is survived by one son, Jeff (Nancy) of Mechanicsville, Virginia; four granddaughters, Morgan Miller of Cape Girardeau, Julie Miller of Austin, Texas, Kelly Miller of Grove City, Ohio, and Lisa (Aaron) Thompson of North Chesterfield, Virginia; a brother, Jim (Barbara) of Manteno, Illinois; a sister, Bennie Britt of Santa Clara, California; two sister-in-laws Donna Miller of Bourbonnais, Illinois, and Elaine Ferguson of Chesterfield; and numerous nieces and nephews.

Private graveside services with military honors given by the Illinois National Guard Burial Team and area veterans will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday at Mount Pisgah Cemetery, Wetaug, Illinois, with pastor Doug Atkins officiating. As a child, he rode and worked horses, beginning at the young age of 5, to help on the farm in Wetaug. Later in life he enjoyed keeping horses. In recognition of this interest, a horse-drawn hearse will carry his casket to the gravesite.

His last few years were enriched thanks to the loving care of staff at Auburn Creek Assisted Living in Cape Girardeau. In his final weeks, the staff of Southeast Hospice Services and Ratliff Care Center provided very compassionate care to him and support to the family.

Given his interest in construction, any expressions of sympathy can be made in the form of contributions to Habitat for Humanity of Cape Girardeau, 2365 Rust Ave., Cape Girardeau, MO 63703.

To leave online condolences visit, www.jones-funeral.com.

Jones Funeral Home of Villa Ridge, Illinois, was in charge of arrangements.