Dr. Darrell E. ‘Doc’ Miller
Oct. 17, 1924 Jan. 6, 2018 Dr. Darrell E. “Doc” Miller, age 93, a resident of Neosho, Missouri, passed away on January 6, 2018, in Neosho, Missouri, with loving family at his side.
He was born October 17, 1924, near Chillicothe, Mo., to Dowe and Cora Miller. Following high school, he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps. After training in San Diego and at Grove City College in Pennsylvania, he shipped to the Pacific, serving in Guadalcanal with the Third Regiment of the Third Marine Division. He also participated in the Battle for Bougainville in the Solomon Islands and in the landing and recapture of the island of Guam, in which he was wounded in action. He received the Purple Heart, the Presidential Unit Citation, the Navy Unit Commendation, and the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with three service stars.
He received a medical discharge in 1945, married Peggy Hill of Chillicothe, and enrolled in the Logan College of Chiropractic, graduating in 1950. After graduate school at Palmer College of Chiropractic in Davenport, Iowa, he practiced for more than 30 years in Joplin and Webb City.
He and Peggy had three children and Darrell was active in the community. He served on the City Council and the Webb City School Board, as a Commander of the local American Legion post, and as Scout Master and Explorer Advisor of Post 25. He was a member of Order of the Arrow and received the Golden Sun Award, the Ozark Trails Council’s highest award given to volunteers for outstanding service to Scouting programs.
He is survived by his longtime companion Shirley Brendel; his former wife, Peggy; his daughters, Rebecca Miller and Laura Miller; his son, Ned Miller, and his daughter-in-law, Kathy (Brookshire) Miller; his grandchildren, John Miller and Lori Compas; and his great-grandchildren, Tom Compas, Anna Compas, Sophie Miller, and Klara Miller. They all remember him fondly for his generosity, his sense of fun, his stories of adventure and misadventure, and his commitment to his country demonstrated by his military service. He was preceded in death by his parents; his brother Harold, and his brother Howard, who was lost on a bombing mission over Germany during World War II.
Funeral services will be held at the Pleasant Grove United Methodist Church, Chillicothe, Missouri, on Tuesday, January 16, 2018, at 10 a.m. There is no scheduled visitation. Friends may call at the Lindley Funeral Home, Chillicothe, Missouri, on Monday, January 15, 2018, from noon until 5 p.m. Burial will be held at Wheeling Cemetery, Wheeling, Missouri. Memorial contributions may be made to the American Indian College Fund and may be left at or mailed to Lindley Funeral Home, P.O. Box 47, Chillicothe, MO 64601. Online condolences may be made at www.lindleyfuneralhomes.com.
Arrangements are under the direction of Lindley Funeral Home, Chillicothe, Missouri.
PAID OBITUARY