John Miller

Funeral Services and a Mass of Christian Burial for John P. Miller, 97, a resident of Davenport, will be 11 am Thursday, December 10, 2020, at Holy Family Catholic Church, Davenport.  The family will greet friends at church Thursday from 10:30 am until the time of the service.  Due to the current health crisis, masks must be worn and social distancing respected.  Burial will be in Mt. Calvary Cemetery, Davenport.  Memorials may be made to Holy Family Catholic Church or to the Davenport St. Serra Club.  Halligan-McCabe-DeVries Funeral Home is assisting the family.  John passed away Monday, December 7, 2020 at ManorCare Utica Ridge.

John was born April 3, 1923, the son of Nicholas and Anna (Scheckel) Miller.  He graduated from the former St. Ambrose Academy in Davenport, and attended Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio.

John served in the Army for three years during World War II and was a sergeant in the infantry.  He was awarded the Combat Infantryman’s Badge, the Bronze Star, two Battle Medals with two bronze stars, and various other decorations.  He married Charlene Vanek on January 3, 1948 at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Davenport.

John was employed by the U.S. Army Weapons Command as an Industrial Specialist.  He received the Department of the Army Sustained Superior Performance Award, retiring in January of 1980.

John had been very active in parish life at Holy Family Church.  He was a member of the steering committee that established the first Parish Council at Holy Family Church and was a former member of the council.  He also was a former member of the Diocesan Lay Council.  John was both a member and a former president of the Davenport Serra Club.  He was a former member of the Rock Island Arsenal Officers Club, Davenport Elks Lodge No. 298, and the Loyal Order of the Moose.  John was a life member of the National Active and Retired Federal Employees, NARFE Chapter 279, and the Bi-State Sportsmen’s Club.

Those left to honor John’s memory include his wife, Charlene; sons:  Edward, Thomas, and Charles; grandson, Edmund Dean; and granddaughter, Catie Miller.  He was preceded in death by his parents, daughters: Beth Ann and Marie Dean; brothers:  Norman, James and Michael; and sisters:  Genevieve Barr, Mildred Johnson, Anna Marie Longenecker, and Sister Isabel Miller, BVM.