Merlin Dean Miller

Merlin Dean Miller

June 30, 1930 – May 18, 2016

Merlin Dean Miller, age 85, of Twin Falls, Idaho, passed away on May 18th of complications from pneumonia.

Merlin was born in Garden City, Kansas on June 30th, 1930 to John W. and Ruth Miller.  When Merlin was 7 years old, he and his family moved to Twin Falls, Idaho.  He graduated from Twin Falls High School.  Merlin enlisted in the Army in January, 1952, serving until January, 1955, when he was honorably discharged.

He married Jacqueline Marie O’Dell on March 13th, 1953 in Twin Falls, Idaho.  They lived together in Twin Falls until her passing in 2007. They raised two sons, Kent and Ross, in Twin Falls.  

Merlin was an avid fisherman, never missing a weekend when the season was open to visit a local reservoir or river.  He was also a dedicated game hunter and bird sportsman, keeping his Fall seasons’ busy with weekend hunting trips with his family and friends.  After retirement, he learned horseshoe pitching (placing in several tournaments), playing all over Idaho and the northwest.   

Merlin and Jacqueline enjoyed snow birding in Arizona after retirement, and he continued to pursue the warm weather in Yuma after Jacqueline’s passing. He looked forward to his time in Yuma each year with the friends he and Jacqueline made, and cherished them even when his health was challenged over the last year.

Merlin was also an active member in the Moose Lodge for 52 years, enjoying the group meetings and activities, making lifelong friends, and working on various family oriented activities and charities.

Merlin had a remarkable memory, and a wicked sense of humor. He could remember hundreds of jokes  at any given time, and was happy to share. Learning to use a computer opened up a whole new world of jokes, and sharing them by e-mail kept everyone he knew supplied with the latest one going around. He could “Pull your leg” with an absolute straight face, and smirk about it later.

Merlin was preceded in death by both his parents, and his sister Eugenia Dean of Kimberly, Idaho, and his brother J. W. Miller of Richardson, Texas, as well as his wife, Jacqueline. He is survived by his sons, Kent (Jennifer) Miller of Boise, and Ross (Connie) Miller of Twin Falls, and his grandchildren, Brandon Miller of Twin Falls, and Devlin and Talia Miller of Boise.

Arrangements are under the direction of Parke’s Magic Valley Funeral Home, 2551 Kimberly Road, Twin Falls, ID.  A graveside service will be held on June 3rd at 2 P.M. at Sunset Memorial Park in Twin Falls, next to his beloved wife.