Kenneth "Joe" Miller

Kenneth “Joe” Miller…
was born in Pipestone on July 26, 1948 to Garold and Belle (Stanton) Miller. He attended Pipestone School. In his early years he became a devout Christian and attended the local Baptist church. While still a boy, he began doing odd jobs to help his family. In 1978 he met Kathie Heminger and in 1979 they married. They had one child, a daughter, Kelli Jo Miller in 1982. She was the love of his life.

During his working years, he worked on the sanitation crew for the City of Pipestone, for Bayliner (later called US Marine) as a boat loader lead-man for nearly 20 years and finally at Hyde Oil (later called Growmark Lubricants) as an all-around laborer. He retired in 2011 from there. Over the past year, his health rapidly declined. On April 3, 2013, he entered the Good Samaritan Communities of Pipestone where he died soon after admittance on Friday, April 5, 2013 at the age of 64 years, eight months and ten days. Joe was an avid camper. He enjoyed taking his camper to Lake Benton and spending time with his friends and family. Joe loved to fish, and enjoyed teaching his daughter to fish as well. Children were his joy. The daycare children across from his home would greet him with a chorus of, “Hi, Joe!” each time he appeared in the yard. Once, a little neighborhood boy, Lucas Eischens, appeared at the door and asked, “Can Joe come out to play?” Of course, Joe did! He considered little Brynn and Jaxson Schulze his “adopted” grandchildren and loved them dearly.

Joe is survived by his wife, Kathie; his daughter, Kelli Jo; and two sisters, Sandra “Sam” Lopau and Patty (Duane) Hansen. He is preceded in death by his parents; two brothers, Gary and Dennis Miller; and his brother-in-law, Delwin Lopau; and two stillborn daughters, Mindy Kathleen and Kammy Jill.