Friends, family remember Valley soldier

Click to Enlarge Shannon Litz/The R-C Staff Sgt. Timothy Miller's father, Aaron Taflinger, looks at the American flag that was taken off of Miller's casket at Eastside Memorial Park on Sunday, March 16. A memorial service was at Douglas High School followed by a military burial at the cemetery in Minden. Browse and Buy Record Courier Photos

by Scott Neuffer, sneuffer@recordcourier.com
March 19, 2008

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American flags of all sizes flew outside Douglas High School on Sunday as more than 500 people gathered to remember the life of 27-year-old Army Staff Sgt. Timothy Miller, who had graduated from the school 10 years earlier, and to remember his wife, 25-year-old Sgt. Randi Miller, from New Hampshire.

"The nation owes a debt of gratitude to these two young soldiers who were greatly loved and will be greatly missed," said Pastor Rich Lammay of High Sierra Fellowship church who officiated the military service. "They had strong, pure hearts. They were not only productive citizens, but stellar examples for the rest of us."

Bagpipes wailed as six soldiers carried Miller's casket into the gymnasium.

"Tim's younger sister, Savannah, said Tim was her hero, her best friend; he taught her to dance, to play soccer and taught her how to laugh," said Lammay.

Click to Enlarge Shannon Litz/The R-C members of the Miller-Gray family hug Staff Sgt. Timothy Miller's friend, Josh Munoz, after he spoke at Miller's funeral at Douglas High School on Sunday March 16. Browse and Buy Record Courier Photos

Miller grew up in the Gardnerville Ranchos with his mother, Tami Gray, and stepfather, Randy Gray, a volunteer firefighter. Friends and family remember him as a funny, outgoing kid.

"He loved making people around him happy," said friend Josh Munoz.

Miller also possessed a desire to serve his country. When he graduated from Douglas in 1998, he went straight into the military, becoming a medic in the U.S. Army. In his 10 year career, he served in South Korea, Colombia, Honduras and Iraq, earning many medals and awards.

"He gravitated towards children and loved to play with the kids in the orphanages," said Lammay.

"It was never about him; it was about helping other people," Gary Powers, a Ranchos volunteer firefighter who'd trained Miller as a teenage cadet, said before the service. "He was willing to serve."

While stationed at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, Miller met and married his wife, Randi, also an Army medic. The couple was stationed to Fort Lewis, Washington, where they had a daughter, Kassidy.

"When he brought Randi home, I saw he had changed into a man," said Munoz. "He had a sparkle in his eyes, and he was so excited about becoming a father. I only wish I could have seen the love and joy in his face when he held his daughter."

On March 2, Timothy and Randi Miller were shot and killed in their home outside Fort Lewis. Kassidy was abducted, but later recovered by police, unharmed. Spc. Ivette Davila, 22, is accused of the crime, though a motive has not yet been established. She is being tried in a military court.

"This is the hardest thing anyone will ever face," said Lammay. "Although evil touches the most righteous people, remember that God is still good."

"I'm going to remember the good times," said Miller's uncle, Mike Taflinger. "I'm not going to focus on the way he died, but on the way he lived."

A slide show set to music showed the Millers together in their five years of marriage. One picture showed Timothy Miller grinning as he stood next to the turbine of a jet. Another showed Randi Miller in scrubs working in the lab of an Army hospital. Then there were pictures of the couple holding Kassidy.

"I ask you all to keep the parent's love alive in the life of Kassidy," said Lammay.

Kassidy was brought to Gardnerville on Tuesday. The Gray family plans to raise her.

After the service, about 30 members of the Patriot Guard, a veteran motorcycle group, led the funeral procession to Eastside Memorial Park.

"It's my honor to show respect for fallen soldiers," said member Eric Cotter of Reno.

Cotter said the guard attends soldier funerals to protect and shield family members from protesters.

"The only reason people have the right to protest is because there is a soldier somewhere in the field fighting for that right," said Cotter.

At the burial site, the guard gathered around grieving family members and sheltered them from a bitter-cold wind. American flags and military honors were presented to the family.

"I encourage everyone here today to bless this family by reaching out and helping to raise Kassidy," said Lammay.

Kassidy's mother, Sgt. Randi Miller, was buried in New Hampshire on Friday.