Elvin R. Miller

Elvin Richard Miller, 84, of Palmyra, went to be with the Lord on Monday, April 6, 2015 at Community General Osteopathic Hospital, in Harrisburg, PA. He was born Tuesday, October 21, 1930 in Campbelltown to the late Elvin O. and Violet (Wagner) Miller. He is survived by his loving wife of 62 years, Nancy L. (Roush) Miller.

Elvin was a devout Christian, loving husband, father, and grandfather; a diligent farmer, brilliant mechanic, and genius inventor. After attending the General Motors Institute in Flint, MI, he served as Service Manager at E.O. Miller Chevrolet in Hershey. He then opened his own mechanic’s shop on the farm, repairing everything from everyday farm equipment to the rarest of Rolls Royces. Hand in hand, he and his wife Nancy built their family homestead from the ground up, and as a team they worked to cultivate over five hundred acres of Pennsylvania farmland. But Elvin found his life’s passion working in his shop, and he was the last hope for countless fabrications and restorations, from the first Hershey Trolleys to an all-terrain truck used for a mission’s ventures into Africa. After snowstorms and floods, Elvin served as a reliable rescuer, plowing neighbors’ drives, installing pumps to clear floodwaters, and even clearing trees in Mobile, AL after 1979’s Hurricane Frederick. The light of his life, however, was his son, Danny, who, though challenged in many ways, Elvin knew to be a blessing, the purest of pure.

In addition to his wife, he is survived by five children: Julia Campbell, wife of Dale Campbell (Little Rock, AR); Danny Miller (Harrisburg, PA); Margie Drescher, wife of John Drescher (Newalla, OK); Carolyn Milligan, wife of Kriston Milligan (Conway, AR); and Andrea Keiper, wife of Adam Keiper (Palmyra, PA); and thirteen grandchildren: Ryan, Carson, Anne Katherine, Paul, Will, Graham, Susan (Campbell), John Allen, Mark, Laurelyn (Drescher), Benjamin (Milligan), and Luke and Jack (Keiper).

Funeral services will be held Saturday, April 11th at 2 PM at Salem United Church of Christ, 2761 Horseshoe Pike, Campbelltown, PA 17010 with Pastor Andy Hawes officiating. Burial will follow in the adjoining cemetery. Family and friends are invited for food and fellowship following the internment at the What If of Hershey, 845 East Chocolate Avenue, Hershey, PA 17033.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in his honor to The Arc of Dauphin County, 2569 Walnut Street, Harrisburg, PA 17103, or to the Lewy Body Dementia Association, 912 Killian Hill Road, S.W., Lilburn, GA 30047. Condolences and memories may be shared at www.rothermelfuneralhome.com

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