Dale C Miller

The venue for Dale's funeral service on Saturday, January 18, 2025, has been changed to the Christian Church of Florence instead of the Florence Gymnasium, with the approval of the family. Thank You 

Dale’s life began on November 18, 1925, at Axtell Hospital in Newton. He was the son of Clark and Elsie (Kimball) Miller. Dale attended school in Newton and was united in marriage to Lois Mae Yoder in Newton on March 9, 1947. Dale and Lois operated Miller Produce for decades together, and Dale was a well respected poultry producer in the area for nearly 75 years.

 He was a much beloved member of the Florence community, serving on the fire department, and ambulance squad. Dale was a Meals on Wheels volunteer and was a legend for his efforts recycling aluminum cans in the community. Dale recycled over a million cans and tabs with all the proceeds going to charities like his church or the Ronald McDonald House. He was the official weed cutter at the Florence Tree Farm on the Cottonwood River, even into his much later years, he could and would outwork those around him. As a young man, he never turned down an opportunity to wrestle a much larger opponent and Dale always was the winner.

 Dale’s family was especially important to him and they include his children Robert (Lynnetta) Miller of Dewey, OK, Lynne Depler of Florence, Tony ( Pat) Miller of Oklahoma City, Sonya Schambron of Topeka and Tina Miller of Wichita; grandchildren Melanie ( John) Weston, Jaime McCauley, Chad ( Callie ) Miller, Jeremey (Rebekah) Depler, Jacob Depler, Laranda Morton, Jason Bartlett and Clarissa Schambron; great grandchildren Kyle, Lenni, Perri, Stevie, Ezra, Tyler, Mason, Kason, Austin, Ema, and Kristen; and one great great grandchild Lily; siblings Sam ( Bonnie) Miller, Becky Crupper, and sister in law Liz Miller, all of Hesston and many nieces and nephews.

 Dale passed away at his home on Saturday January 11, 2025. He is preceded in death by his parents, wife Lois, brothers Mark, Neil and Vern Miller and sisters Dorothy Ashcraft and Shirley Hall.

 His family will gather with friends on Friday January 17, 2025, from 5-7 p.m. at the Christian Church of Florence. His funeral service will be held on Saturday January 18, 2025, at 1 p.m. at the Florence School Gymnasium. He will be laid to rest in Hillcrest Cemetery, Florence. Yazel Megli Funeral Home, Marion is serving the family. Memorial contributions in his name may be directed to Meals on Wheels or the Christian Church of Florence. Please sign his online guestbook and leave a memory of Dale at www.yazelmeglifh.com

Life Sketch provided by the family...

Dale started his life with working hard and serving others, and at the age of six,

was dressing chickens with his parents, who own the Clark Miller Produce in

Newton Ks. Because of his love of Jesus, his Servant's Heart made him the man he

was all his life.

At the age of 13, he suffered a long bout with rheumatic

fever, which damaged his heart so bad, the doctors said he would be dead in

30 days. Because he missed so much school he had to drop out his freshman year and

continued to do what he did best, working for others.

After leaving his parents business, he worked for nine different farmers and

Hurst Egg packing plant. Dale married his wife Lois in 1947 and after few months in

Colorado they moved to Florence. He worked for a couple dairy farmers

before starting his Dale Miller Produce business in 1948, dealing with buying eggs,

cream, chickens and selling feed and fertilizer. His produce business survived the floods

of 1949 and 1951. He had that business for 19 years.

He then started working with his brother, who owned the Mark Miller Egg Produce business.

He worked there for 35 years, before they closed the business.

Dale's love for hunting and fishing, was at the top of his free time which he loved to do

with men from Florence over the years. But a meeting with Marvin Kaiser while fishing one day,

became a life changing experience. They became best friends and their families

joined together to become a blended family, hunting and fishing together with

their sons for years.

Crappie fishing was Dale's number one love and he only retired from fishing

when he was 95, because he was worried he might fall with his waders on and not

be able to climb out of the reservoir! Quail, pheasant and prairie chickens was

his passion of hunting, that he shared with Marvin and their sons and men from town.

During his working schedule, his love for serving others and God, he was on

the Florence School Board three years, one year as the president. He drove a

school bus for one year. With his love of people, he sponsered the Florence Town Teams

of basketball, baseball and fast pitch softball. He also had a basketball goal in

his produce, where for 19 years, kids from the town would come to play

basketball whenever they wanted.

Dale worked for the town's fire department for 18 years and was an EMT on the

ambulance service for 37 years, retiring at the age of 83, only retiring to take care

of Lois, his wife.

While in his 90's he served with Meals on Wheels for two years. During

that time he worked 4 to 5 years in planting Walnut Trees, along the Cottonwood

River, planting them and keeping the weeds cleared out. He enjoyed working when

temperatures were in the high 90's and low 100's. He assisted cleaning

out the trees and brush from under the 5th street bridge from the flood waters,

even tho he didn't know how to swim.

He took over from Bus Huntley, the collecting of aluminum cans around town to help

support the Christian Chuch and the Ambulance service. He also took the tabs off the cans and sent

them to the Ronald McDonald house. He collected and smashed over one million cans,

which filled six semi truck loads, which were then hauled by Ludwig Trucking Company

to Wichita to sell. He smashed each can, first removing the tab on each one, then

stepping on each can before using a rubber hammer. He used seven hammers over the years

to finish smashing each one, and putting in large trash bags.

Dale's love for God and serving others, was his life, and gave him

his most joy, and he refused to stop until the Lord took him to heaven a

few days ago.