Obituary of John R. Miller

May 15, 1944 – March 9, 2024

He was born John Francis Keegan on May 15, 1944, at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to Virginia Keegan, a single mother. Virginia knew she could not support another child, so she lovingly gave John up for adoption. He then went to St. Vincent’s Infant and Maternal Hospital in Chicago where he was baptized on July 31, 1944, and at nine months old on February 6, 1945, John Michael Miller and Lauretta Miller (Spotto), a loving couple from Chicago, adopted John to complete their family. From then on, he was John Raymond Miller  and grew up in a loving, Catholic family alongside older sister Patricia (Pat). Some time later they moved to the suburb of Brookfield to Dubois  Blvd. (known and referred to as “Do Boys” by the family), where John grew up playing little league and other sports with the youth of the community. He attended and graduated from St. Barbara’s Catholic School. Always mischievous, John got into a bit of trouble and was sent to reform school in St. Charles, Illinois, where his father visited every Sunday. Shortly after reform school, he was referred to Father Flanagan’s Boys Home, known as Boys Town in Boys Town, Nebraska near Omaha. He arrived at Boys Town in July 1959, attended high school and learned the machinist trade. He was a member of the 4H Club and the “B” Club. He won major letters in baseball playing pitcher and centerfield and had achieved a “perfect” game, hitting safely and scoring each of his four times at bat. He led the team with a batting average of .454. He also won major letters in football playing tight end and appeared in Chicago’s Soldier Field on September 29, 1961, against St. Patrick’s of Chicago where his dad was in attendance.

After high school graduation in 1962, John enlisted in the U.S. Army and was on the bus to boot camp when he was called off and told he was not accepted due to his reform school history. Down but not out, John was determined to serve his country, and he pursued enlistment in the U.S. Navy. With a bit of luck and his mother’s help, he was accepted and shipped off to the United States Navel Training Center in San Diego, California. He served on the USS Independence in the South China Sea on the flight deck, refueling and loading aircraft during the Vietnam War. He received a National Defense Service Metal and Letter of Commendation for Outstanding Performance. In addition to his wartime service, John traveled with the Navy to Singapore, The Philippines, Spain, Germany, Austria, Sweden, St. Thomas and several other places. He served in the Reserves until his honorable discharge in 1970.

Back stateside John followed in the footsteps of his father and got a union truck driving job. He met and married Carol Pavich also of Brookfield on April 19, 1969. They had two daughters Jessica and Amanda, but divorced in 1984. He also sought to find his birth mother Virgina and did. He connected with her and met his sister by his birth mother Mary Patricia Davidson (Keegan) where he was welcomed into the family. He settled residence in Westchester, Illinois with the help of his dear friend Gloria that found the two-flat apartment building he bought and lived in. He was known as the “Duke of Downing” and subsequently was the landlord of the year for a record 30 plus years.

John was active in the Boys Town Alumni Association and the VFW. He loved sports, horse racing and gambling. He enjoyed travel and frequently visited Boys Town, Las Vegas, and Marco Island, Florida among other places. He even moved out to Las Vegas for a time but always came back to Chicago. He married a second time to Valentina Chmygaleva but parted ways in 2001.

In retirement he chummed with the guys at the local McDonald’s for morning coffee where he was known as “Big John”. He often visited his sister Mary Pat and her husband Bob in Marco Island, Florida and later bought a villa in Naples as a vacation home. After his dear sister’s death in 2007 he came down to Naples less frequently and eventually rented out the villa full time. He enjoyed retirement in Chicago until March 2021, when he moved full time to Naples, Florida to live out the rest of his days. He passed away peacefully in his sleep on Saturday, March 9, 2024. John is preceded in death by his parents John and Lauretta Miller, sister Patricia Slampak, his birth mother Virgina Keegan and sister Mary Pat Davidson. He is survived by his daughters Jessica Miller and Amanda Goodings (son-in-law Trevor Goodings), grandsons Jake Miller and Josey Wales Goodings, and several nieces and a nephew.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Wounded Warrior project in memory of John.

The Miller family will be having a memorial service Thursday, April 4, 2024, at 10:00am at St. Peter the Apostle Catholic Church, 5130 Rattlesnake Hammock Road, Naples, Florida 34113.