Obituary of David Powell Miller II

David Powell Miller II June 19, 1942 – June 7, 2016 David Powell Miller II died peacefully on June 7, 2016, at age 73, his wife, Pattie, by his side. Alzheimer’s disease brought an end much too early to his rich life, which was filled with passion for music, friends and family, and the outdoors. Dave entered this world in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on June 19, 1942, the second of three sons born to Hugh Miller and Suzanne Burwell Miller. After attending public schools in Seattle, Wisconsin, and California, Dave graduated in 1960 from Capitol Page School at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., where he served as a page for California Congressman J. Arthur Younger. Dave then attended and graduated from Stanford University, followed by Stanford Law School. At law school, Dave made law review, became an editor thereof, and achieved Order of the Coif honors. Following clerkship for Justice Alfred T. Goodwin of the Oregon Supreme Court, Dave took employment with the Portland law firm now known as Stoel Rives. He practiced law with Stoel Rives for the rest of his career, ultimately as a partner specializing in real estate and timber transactions. For many years Dave's name appeared on the Oregon list of Best Lawyers in America. Dave retired from Stoel Rives in 2006. A lifelong outdoorsman, Dave shared a passion for hunting and fishing with his namesake uncle, a dentist from Appleton, Minnesota. To hunt wild turkeys young Dave became an expert turkey caller. For ducks, he was always ready to weather freezing blinds on Sauvie Island and in Deer Island. For elk, Dave donned camouflage to bow-hunt rutting bulls on the Oregon coast. Dave’s love for hunting birds led to a related passion for English Springer Spaniels, which he bred, trained, and entered successfully in field trial competitions. Then there was fishing. While still a teenager Dave began tying flies. He later became skilled at tying beautiful, intricate fishing knots. In addition to fishing close to home, Dave made countless trips to Alaska with his namesake uncle and other family members and friends, to fish the Naknek River for magnificent, bright, king salmon, fresh from the ocean. Music was another passion, not just to hear, but to play. Dave learned trombone during grade school and junior high, then picked up guitar during his page days in Washington. With tastes for Country & Western and the Blues, Dave became adept at both playing and singing. For years, as lead singer and guitarist, Dave led the Miller Brothers Blues Band, which usually included brother Fred on sax and Dave’s son, David III, on rhythm guitar. Musical performance became a showcase, too, for Dave’s inner poet. He authored compelling lyrics for original songs he performed and sang, and he rewrote lyrics for several well-known tunes. A favorite in the latter category was Dave’s version of a famous country song, which he modified to implore, ‘Mamas, Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Lawyers.” Attorneys in the audience always appreciated the closing line: “Let them grow up to be clients.” Their mutual appreciation for family values, love for dogs, music and country living led Dave to fall for Patricia Lynn “Pattie” Morgan in the summer of 1997. Dave and Pattie were married on September 26, 1998, in Portland, Oregon. They moved to Gaston, Oregon in 2005 and then settled in Camas, Washington in 2011. Dave is survived by his wife, Pattie; his children, David Powell Miller III (Maureen Warren Miller) and Jennifer Suzanne Miller; Pattie’s daughters, Amber Christina Cunningham (Aaron Witbeck) and Darci Diane Morgan (Brian Buffington); six grandchildren; and his older brother, Fred Burwell Miller (Pamela Gesme Miller). Dave’s parents and younger brother, Robert Powell Miller II, predeceased him. Throughout Dave’s life, poetic instincts ran deep, surfacing in lyrical lines he wrote for family and friends. The Mother’s Day inscription on the back of the 2001 photo reproduced above told her, “Thanks for giving me the joy of life.” Indeed, it’s hard to think of anyone who embraced his allotted years more completely and enthusiastically. We’ll miss you, Dave. A celebration of life service for Dave will be held on September 11, 2016 at 2 p.m. at the World Forestry Center – Miller Hall, in Portland, OR. In lieu of flowers the family suggests contributions in Dave’s honor to the Alzheimer’s Organization.