In loving memory of David John Miller,(The Ranger) age 57 of Oxdrift, who passed away on Wednesday, October 27, 2010 at the Dryden Regional Health Centre.
Dave is survived by his wife Karen Lavers, his daughters Nancy (John) Schultz of Dryden and Pamela (Ben) Phillips of Oxdrift, grandson Bryn Schultz, brother Ian Miller, sisters Fern Miller, Margaret Miller & Dorothy Miller, Christine Edgar & Ruth Webb, all from the Hamilton/Waterloo area, mother-in-law Annette Lavers, sisters-in-law Bonnie (Cal) Lavers, Lisa Lavers & Debbie Lavers, all of Revelstoke, BC, brothers-in-law Wayne Lavers, Dennis “Red” Lavers (Teri Therrien) both of Vermilion Bay, Dale (Wendy) Lavers & Terry (Marilyn) Lavers both of Waldhof, as well as numerous nieces and nephews.
Dave was born on January 17, 1953 in Hamilton, ON. He lived on a farm in Bismarck with his family until his mother passed away when Dave was 13. They moved to Mount Forest and ran a chicken farm there, until Dave moved to Dryden in 1972. He hitchhiked north with a friend, both of them looking for work, ending up in Dryden where Dave found employment with the pulp & paper mill. Dave worked at the mill through all of its various name changes for 33 years, retiring in 2008. Dave married after moving to Dryden and had two daughters, Nancy & Pam. Dave’s beloved grandson Bryn was born in 1999, always a shining light in his life. In 1983 Dave met Karen, and they were together for 27 years, until the day he died.
Dave enjoyed life to the fullest, always up for an adventure or a challenge. From motorcycles & snow machines in his younger days to 4 wheelers and fishing after his broken back, Dave never backed down from any request, whether it be an invitation to party or lending a hand when someone needed help. With beer in hand, Dave could be counted on to come through in every instance.
Dave spent many summers at Amesdale, where he had a whole family of fellow campers ready to get into trouble with him. Night runs on the 4 wheelers, fishing trips, camper repairs, bush rescues and bonfires are just a few of the activities that earned Dave his title of “Ranger Dave”. If someone was lost, it was Ranger to the rescue. Stuck in the mud? Ranger to the rescue. Need a beer? Yup, Ranger to the rescue. Whiskey Jack’s friendly greeting, “gumball” and Full Moon in June could always cause a trip down memory lane and a few laughs.
In recent years Dave used his days off and later his retirement time to get back to his roots and started helping at a neighbouring farm. Gradually spending more and more time there, Dave became a permanent fixture at Robin Hill Farm and was invaluable to the Griffiths family. Again, anything that needed to be done Dave was willing to do and was quite often seen driving a wagonload of hay bales down the road with the tractor, fixing fence, moving a herd of cattle, or maybe, just maybe, having a beer with the guys when the work was done.
Dave always had time for the kids too, no matter whose kids they were. Hundreds of miles were put on his 4 wheeler taking kids for rides. Fixing bikes and toys, playing crib, setting up scavenger hunts and haunted house rides, buying numerous boxes of chocolates and even sitting on the Oxdrift School Council are just a small sampling of the things Dave did for kids because he loved them so much.
In his early years here in the Dryden area, Dave served as a volunteer fire fighter, was an animal protection officer and worked as a snow plow driver in his down time. He was also a member of the Aubrey Local Roads Board.
Dave touched so many lives in his time without even realizing it. We will all miss him terribly, and will never be able to fill the empty spot in our hearts. Ride on Ranger, and have a cold one for us.
A celebration bonfire will take place at Dave & Karen’s place, 2225 Hwy 594 on Saturday, November 6th, starting at 4pm. Bring your own BLUE, your memories, a chair and something to roast over the fire. And dress warm!!
Dave requested no service and cremation has taken place. Interment of ashes will take place at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Rescue North through the Dryden Community Funeral Home, 249 Grand Trunk Avenue, Dryden, ON, P8N 2X3. Condolences may be emailed to dcfh@drytel.net, subject heading Miller.
