James “Jim” Michael Miller Obituary

On the evening of Thursday, April 27, 2023, James “Jim” Michael Miller, formerly of Peoria, passed away from natural causes at Providence Willamette Falls Hospital in Oregon City, Oregon. Jim was 84 years old.

Jim was born in Rockford, Illinois, to Harry and Millie Miller in August of 1938. He graduated from Rockford East High School in 1956 and the University of Wisconsin in 1960, where he was a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity. Jim joined the Navy after college and served as a bombardier/navigator on A-3 Skywarrior and A-7 Vigilante aircraft. He earned a master’s degree in business administration from The Ohio State University while in the Navy. Jim left active duty in 1969, joined the Naval Reserves, and went to work in Information Services for Caterpillar, Inc. in Peoria, Ill. He was promoted in 1978 and moved to the Caterpillar facility in Mentor, Ohio. He was later promoted to upper management and moved to the Caterpillar headquarters in Peoria, where he worked until his retirement in 2002. Jim also taught computer programming at Illinois Central College in the 1970s, and at Cleveland State University in the 1980s. Jim continued to serve in the Navy Reserve helping to guide Naval Academy candidates with their applications and processing, and retired with the rank of Commander. Jim suffered from dementia the last few years of his life, and moved with his wife, Jayne, to Portland, Oregon, to be near family.

Jim enjoyed nature and was a very talented wildlife photographer. He was active in The Nature Conservancy, serving on the Board of Directors of the Illinois Audubon Society and was a member of its Emiquon chapter. He and Jayne traveled extensively for unique photo opportunities and his photographs have been included in multiple publications. His family recommends friends and family consider a donation in his name to the Illinois Audubon Society at https://illinoisaudubon.org/donate/.

Jim is survived by his wife, Jayne; his sister, Tobie (Dave); his son, Scott (Gambling); his daughter, Alecia (Andy); his step-sons, Robert (Robin) and Russell (Jovita) Henderson; ten grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.

Visit Jim’s memorial page at https://facebook.com/JimMillerMemorial.