Obituary of William E Miller

William E. Miller, 65 and 360 days passed away on April 8, 2019 of small cell lung cancer that spread to his brain.  William was better known as “Ed”. 

Everything about his life was one of a kind. From being born in a taxi in Detroit, Michigan. He was then adopted at one-day old by his grandparents to having two birthdates, April 14 on adoption paperwork and April 13^th his actual Birthdate. In 1970 on April 21 (7 days after his 17^th birthday) Ed joined the Marine Core he was stationed at Camp Lejeune, NC. Platoon Sargent would get drunk, wake up the Platoon and march them through the swamp. At barley 17 he watched two friends die by drowning in the swamp. He then went AWOL and ran to his parents in Florida. The next day, his brother while swimming in lake Okeechobee drowned. While attending his brother funeral a MP showed up and arrested him.  He spent the remainder of his service in a Federal prison and was given an other than honorable discharge. He later would spend 30 years at Boeing.  His favorite saying was “never do anything that makes your heart hurt.”

On August 2, 2019 he had a full physical including a MRI and was given a clean bill of health. On Nov 2, 2018 I rush him the hospital. It was his first time in a hospital since the cab driver delivered him to the hospital after he was born. On that date we found out that he was not having a heart attack and actually had lung cancer which had already spread throughout his body.

He fought a good fight with the chemo, shots, transfusions and radiation, but his battle ended on April 8, 2018. His life ended at CHI hospice house in Tacoma. Fully compassionate his transition from this work to next in a comfort with a peaceful mind. I cannot praise the hospice house enough.

Ed is survived by his wife of 32 years, two sons; Steven, 48 and Anthony 42, Daughter; Christina, 46, two grandchildren, extended family and friends.