Obituary for Arch Miller – (1938-2021) – Vancouver, WA

VANCOUVER, Washington – Arch J. Miller, son of Clair and Ester (Walter) Miller, was born on March 11, 1938 in Independence, Iowa. Arch died peacefully at home in Vancouver, Washington, on January 9, 2021 of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. A private service for Arch was held in the Evergreen Memorial Gardens in Vancouver, Washington, on January 19, 2021. A celebration of his life will take place when we can gather together safely. Commemorative donations can be made to the Vancouver Rotary Foundation, PO Box 1000, Vancouver WA 98666.

Arch grew up in rural Iowa and graduated from Quasqueton High School in 1955. Upon graduation, he enlisted in the Army where he was trained as a machine operator stationed in Virginia and Thule, Greenland. However, when his sergeant learned that Arch could type, Arch became the company’s clerk and spent his time in Greenland inside, rather than on the docks, loading ships. It was the beginning of his entrepreneurial career when he made extra money writing letters, shopping and doing laundry for the dockers. He also became adept at card games and eventually led him to play the bridge tournament.

After his honorable discharge from the Army in 1959, Arch attended Weaver Airline School in Kansas City, Missouri. His first job after graduation was in the reservations department at Bonanza Airlines in Ontario, California. There he met and married Merle Wood and they had three daughters. Bonanza was bought by major airlines and Arch continued and climbed the corporate ladder with each successor airline. He retired in 1979 as senior vice president of sales and marketing for Hughes Airwest, now Delta Airlines.

After retiring from the aviation industry, Arch became an aviation consultant because, as he liked to say, he had a briefcase. One of his consulting projects was for a startup airline school in Vancouver, Washington. Arch loved the project so much that he bought it, sold his home in San Mateo, California, and invested the proceeds in the school. The International Air Academy opened in January 1980. The school celebrated its 40th anniversary last year. Over the years flight crew offerings have expanded to include culinary arts, wind turbine technology and rail operations programs.

Arch always believed in giving back to his community, and he offered school scholarships to organizations like the Vancouver School District At Risk youth program and the Miss Clark County Pageant. After moving to Vancouver, he joined the downtown Rotary club and served as president from 1987 to 1988. When Arch married his wife, Nancy, in 1987, he demonstrated his commitment to Rotary by taking her to this year’s Rotary International Convention on her honeymoon. He was also Chairman of the Board of the Greater Vancouver Chamber of Commerce and received the Vancouver First Citizen Award in 1988. He was instrumental in founding the Vancouver Convention and Visitors’ Bureau and served on the Clark County’s Board of Identity. In 2019 he received the John McKibbin Leadership Legacy Award from the Greater Vancouver Chamber of Commerce for his numerous contributions to the community.

Arch was first elected as the commissioner for the Port of Vancouver in 1990. He was re-elected twice and served a total of 18 years. While serving as commissioner, Arch was inspired to start the wind technology program at the school as the port became a major destination for imported wind turbines.

While the 1980s was about expanding the school, the 1990s was about expanding his family. Two other daughters and four grandchildren, all born within six years, joined the family. Arch’s first great-grandchild, a girl, is expected in June.

When he wasn’t working at school or volunteering in the community, Arch enjoyed playing golf, fishing, and working the yard. Although Arch was always enthusiastic about everything he did, his family suspect that these activities could have been an excuse for smoking cigars. He shared his passion with his children and grandchildren, cadded for them when they played golf, and took along all of his grandchildren who fished in Alaska.

Arch was also an avid sports fan and adopted Oregon State as his second favorite college team (he remained an Iowa Hawkeye all his life). Baseball was his favorite sport, and it was a highlight to travel to Omaha, Nebraska to see the OSU team win the College World Series in 2018. Arch got the idea of ​​the perfect vacation when he could combine travel and sports. The Winter Olympics in Calgary, Canada and the Summer Olympics in Barcelona, ​​Spain were one-off trips, trips to Europe, Australia, China, Russia, Nepal, Sri Lanka and the Walter family included meetings on July 4th in Independence , Iowa.

Arch is survived by his wife, Nancy; and five daughters, Lynn Rullman, Cathy Miller, and Christine Miller, all from Vancouver, Suzy Taylor (Jon) from Nashville, Tennessee, and Sally Jackson (Duane) from Long Pine, Nebraska. Arch’s surviving grandchildren are Jake Rullman and Jack Taylor of Vancouver, Joel (Hannah) Taylor of Salt Lake City, Utah, and his favorite granddaughter Victoria Davis of Ceresco, Nebraska. Arch also survived to his siblings Diane Miller from Jesup and Martha Reamy, JC Miller (Patty) and Judy (Jack) Hynes, all from Florida.

Published in the Independence Bulletin-Journal on March 8th, 2021.