Bill Miller, 79

Bill L. Miller age 79 of rural Garvin passed away peacefully Saturday, September 6, 2014 at his home after a courageous battle with cancer.  Mass of Christian Burial will be at 11:00 a.m. Friday at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Tracy.  Visitation is 5:00 – 8:00 pm Thursday at the Tracy Area Funeral Home with a prayer service at 7:30 pm.  Visitation will continue one hour prior to services at the church on Friday.  Interment is in Bethel Cemetery near Garvin.  Online condolences may be sent at www.stephensfuneralservice.com.  Stephens Funeral Service - Tracy Area Funeral Home is assisting the family with arrangements.

William “Bill” L. Miller was born May 21, 1935, to Ralph and Amy Miller of Blue Earth, MN.  Bill was raised on a farm near Blue Earth where he began a lifelong love of westerns, horses, and airplanes.  He took instruction to fly and earned his pilot’s license in his teens.  He also joined the Army National Reserve.  In his early 20’s he headed west to Keldron, SD, where he worked as a ranch hand on the Sutton Bros. cattle ranch on the Grand River for several years.  He met his wife Bonnie in South Dakota.  They married in November 1964 and moved to Tracy, MN where Bill worked for the MN Valley Breeders Assn.  Bill assisted his dad with his farm operation after his parents moved to Balaton.  He especially enjoyed running farm implements at harvest time.  Bill owned several small aircraft and enjoyed recreational flying.  He started a local business instructing students, as well as providing charter flights and ag aerial spraying in 1968.  He flew many hours over countless acres of crops and pastures until 1996, when injuries sustained in an aircraft accident rendered him unable to continue the business.  He loved horses and built his own small herd on their Tracy acreage.  Bill had a love of the outdoors and enjoyed hunting and 4-wheeling, especially in western South Dakota.

Those whose lives he touched will remember Bill for his welcoming smile and good conversation.  Bill is survived by his wife Bonnie and their children: Marty (Dana Tennison) Miller of Minneapolis, Pam Illg of St. Joseph, and Justin Miller of St. Paul; son-in-law Rick Illg of St. Joseph; grandchildren Bailey and Cade Illg; sister Barbara Schibble of Delevan; and brother Ronald “Skip” Miller of Bowling Green, KY.  Bill is preceded in death by his parents Ralph and Amy Miller and his sister Marilyn Krosch. 

A special thank you to all the hospice staff and friends who helped out and visited during Bill’s illness.  Your support and friendship was valuable during a difficult time.

Elmore Miller, 73

Elmore “Ernie” Miller, age 73, of Bloomington, passed away Aug. 31, 2014 while holding the hand of his loving bride of 34 years. Elmore was born on Feb. 2, 1941 in Tracy, MN.

He worked with Control Data, Magnetic Peripherals Inc., and Seagate. He was president and honorary board member of Second Chance for Life at the U of M.

Preceded in death by son, Thomas Miller; brother, James Miller; and daughter, Shari Witte.

Survived by wife, Shirley; children, Curtis (Shari) Miller, Thomas (Doris) Smith, Dawn (Nathan) Mace, Valerie (John) Mortinson; 20 grandchildren; 25 great-grandchildren; 8 siblings; 26 nieces and nephews; and many other family and friends.

A special thank you to Dr. Pritzker and staff with the transplant team, as well as the “team” of doctors and Dr. Young with Infectious Disease at the U. of M; as well as Nurses, aides and staff at Martin Luther Manor in Bloomington. In lieu of flowers, the family requests gifts payable to Fairview Foundation in Memory of Elmore “Ernie” Miller. Monies will be directed to those awaiting transplant. 2344 Energy Park Dr., St. Paul, MN 55108. Memorial service was held on Mon., Sept. 8, 11 a.m  at St. Bonaventure Catholic Church, 901 E 90th St., Bloomington. Private interment will follow at a later date.

William Salker, 73

William “Bill” Salker, 73, of Hawarden, IA, died suddenly on Monday, September 8, 2014.

Memorial Service will be 11:00 a.m. Thursday at the United Methodist Church in Hawarden with Rev. Barb Joy officiating. Visitation will begin at noon Wednesday, with the family present from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. and a prayer service at 7 p.m. all at the United Methodist Church. The Porter Funeral Home is assisting the family. Condolences may be sent to www.porterfuneralhomes.com.

William George “Bill” Salker was born August 29, 1941 in Tracy, Minnesota, the son of Fred and Artie (Way) Salker. He graduated from Mankato State University and later was in the Graduate Program at USD.

Bill married Janis Spotts on March 30, 1963. They made their home in Hawarden, Iowa beginning in 1964 where Bill began his long teaching career. He was a middle school teacher at West Sioux for 35 years and also taught at SECO for 14 years. He retired from teaching in 1999. Bill painted the interior and exterior of houses from the time he was 16 until his passing.

Bill was a member of the Masonic Lodge. He loved spending time with his family and enjoyed playing golf and hunting. He served as the golf coach at West Sioux and was an avid Minnesota Vikings and Minnesota Twins fan. Bill liked having coffee with his friends.

Survivors include his wife Janis: children, Teri (Steve) Osterkamp of Hawarden, Tom (Denise) Salker of Ireton, Iowa, Jim (Kelly) Salker of Sergeant Bluff, Iowa, and Susie (Chad) McCorkell of Yankton, South Dakota; 11 grandchildren, Shelly, Savana, Sami, Seth, Shauna, Cole, Cody, Emma, Lexie, Megan, and Jace; a great-grandchild, Quintin;  his sister, Sharon (Don) Lindstrom of Tempe, Arizona; and brother-in-law, Bill Spotts of Boulder, Colorado.

Bill was preceded in death by his parents; and a grandson, Tyler Osterkamp.