Charles Kenneth Miller – “Charlie,” “Kenny” — left this world surrounded by his family on January 28, 2016 in Arcata at the age of 69. “He left for the Moon”

Charles was born February 15, 1946 in Salem, Oregon while his parents were working as migrant workers. He spent his childhood on his family’s farms around the Hot Springs, Arkansas area until he was a teen. His teen years were spent in McKinleyville, where he met his wife Verona Green (Perky) of 51 years.

After marrying Verona they moved to Trinidad, where he began working at Bright Wood Lumber. Later they moved to Redding and he worked for Stain Lumber Company. They moved to Hyampom for 5 years and worked for Hyampom Lumber, then moved all over Northern California and Southern Oregon working during the booming logging industry. He went where the work went. 

After a logging accident he began working for K.T.J.U.S.D. and drove school bus for 20 years for the Jack Norton School in Pecwan, where he lived for the last 40 years of his life on the Klamath River. 

His passion from the time he could walk was hunting. Hunting was his life; he hunted everything from birds, squirrels, rabbits, deer, bear, mountain lion, bobcats, fox, raccoons and many other critters. Most of all he loved to run his Walker hounds. The sound of their treeing and baying was music to his ears. He competed in Hunting Field Trials across California and Oregon; he was so good that he was allowed to enter only one dog at a time because he had won the entire past field trial with three dogs taking each event 1st, 2nd, 3rd with his three hounds. He loved hunting with his daughters as they were growing up. He bragged often of how great of shots they were and their bravery as girls not afraid to hunt.

Fishing was his other passion; he spent his life on the Klamath River and fishing all over Pecwan Creek. He fished for salmon, sturgeon, steelhead and trout. He enjoyed teaching his grandkids how to fish and he spent many of hours on the river with them fishing. He was so proud when they caught a fish. 

He never met a stranger and he thought he could help everyone. He was full of stories and could talk from sun up until sun down. The kids on his bus run were quizzed daily by him with all of his facts and trivia. He would sit and read books of facts for days, soaking in all the information he could. You would have never known he barely finished the 7th grade.

He was one of the bravest, strongest men you could have met. He killed two bears in his lifetime by hand with only a pocket knife to save his hounds after his gun jammed, reaching around a tree grabbing the bear by the ear and slicing its throat. This story would have never been believable, except he had witnesses.

Even the moment of his death bed he made it a point to let us know he was strong. In his last moments we told him “You don’t have to be so strong, dad.” He pulled himself up and said, “But I am!”

Every day for 18 days in the hospital his niece Robin Green would sit with him. In ICU he said, “Rob, help me get to the moon.” She said “OK, how do I do that?” He said, “I don’t know but do something even if it’s wrong, just get me to the moon!”

A special thank-you to Robin for being there with him when we could not be.

Charles is survived by his wife Verona Miller “Perky”; daughter Tialisa Miller and her children Demetrius and Jessalyn Villegas; daughter Jennifer Miller and her children Ace M. Aguilar, Jr., Michael Warden, Nikwich Nez, and Juloni Euan; daughter Kenna Miller-Adame (Junaluska Thigpen) and their children Keandra Anguiano, Nadia Anguiano, Elijah Palacios, Nyellee Palacios; great-granddaughters Navea and Alexis Warden and Jonnae Johnson; brother Ray Miller and wife Rita; sisters Willa Speers and Netty Davis and husband Ray Davis. Also too many to list nephews, nieces and cousins. 

He was preceded in death by his parents Benjamin Miller and Ruie McDowell-Miller; his great-granddaughter Eliena Johnson; his brothers Clarence Miller, Odell Miller, Paul Miller, Jewel Miller, Carole Wayne Miller, Rector Miller; his sisters Pauline Cockman, Betty Breshears, Joyce Miller and many other loved ones.

Thank you to Dr. Norman Bensky, Jane Manning, P.A. and staff for being his medical provider for over 26 years.

Paul Bearers: Ace Aguilar Jr., Demetrius Villegas, Michael Warden, Nikwich Nez, Martin Diez, Frank Diez Jr.

Honorary Paul Bearers: Elijah Palacios, Junaluska Thigpen, Adrian Euan, Nik McCovey, Vinny McCovey, Charlie Myers, Myroslav Boyschuk, Ronnie Green and Virgil Green Jr.

Services will be held at the Assembly of God Church on Tish Tang Road in Hoopa on Saturday, February 6, 2016 at 11:00 a.m. The family will hold a private burial following services.

Viewing will be Friday, February 5, 2016 at Assembly of God Church in Hoopa from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Also a special thank-you to the doctors, nurses and nurse aides at MRCH for caring for him for 18 days. He enjoyed joking with each of you.

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The obituary above was submitted by Charles Miller’s family. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here. Email news@lostcoastoutpost.com.