Obituary of Fredrick Calloway Miller

Frederick Calloway Miller, 91, passed away on November 22, 2017 at Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte. He was born March 26, 1926 in North Wilkesboro, NC and was one of four children born to James C. Miller and Matela "Teel" Calloway Miller. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by brother, Joseph C. Miller, two sisters, Blanche Landreth and Dorothy Miller, and by his beloved wife, Marie Miller. After graduating from high school, Fred enrolled at North Carolina State College in Mechanical Engineering. After being drafted in 1944, he served in the U.S. Marine Corps I Company, 3rd Battalion, 24th Regiment, 4th Division. On February 19, 1945, he landed on Iwo Jima. Due to a command error, the platoon was caught in an ambush ahead of our front lines near the 2nd Airfield. Fred was wounded twice by machine gun fire. He witnessed the original first flag-raising on Mount Suribachi while being evacuated on February 23, 1945. After his tour of duty was completed, Fred returned to finish his engineering degree on the G.I. Bill. Fred worked with several firms including the State Board of Education, America Enka, J.E. Sirrine, Grinnell Company, Fiber Industries and Technical Associates of Charlotte. He was registered to practice in three states-North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee and was a strong supporter of his profession. He often said that he could not imagine working at any other profession that would have offered the variety and skill requirements of his work. Over 41 years, he participated in hundreds of projects involving power plants, synthetic fiber manufacturing, chemical plants and design and development projects. Fred was lucky indeed to have married Marie, a strong woman of faith and from the beginning, she taught the three children; Fred, Ruth and Dan; love, righteousness, faith, compassion and how to grow and change and expand one's sense of grace. She was the family's guiding light but was taken from us in 2007 due to ovarian cancer. Fred is survived by his son, Frederick Cole Miller (Bette) of Charlotte; son, Daniel C. Miller (Vicki) of Charlotte; daughter, Ruth Marie Miller of Accokeek, Maryland; grandson, Jason Lee Miller of Charlotte, grandson, David Clemens Miller (Lydia) of Charlotte; grandson, Joseph K. Miller (Jessica) of Shoreline, Washington; and granddaughter, Megan Miller Hill (Prescott) of Wilson, North Carolina. Arrangements are in the care of Hankins & Whittington Funeral Service. A service to celebrate Fred's life will be held in the Dilworth Chapel, 1111 East Boulevard at 2:00 PM on Tuesday, November 28, 2017. The Rev. Sam Moore will preside. The family will receive friends from 1:00 until 2:00 PM prior to the Service. Interment will follow in Sharon Memorial Park. Memorials may be made to: Salvation Army, General Fund, 501 Archdale Drive, Charlotte, NC 28210; Special Olympics of North Carolina, PO Box 27728, Raleigh, NC 27611-7728 or to Crisis Assistance Ministry; 500 N. Spratt Street, Charlotte, NC 28206 Condolences may be sent to the family online at http://www.hankinsandwhittington.com