1928 ~ Feb. 14, 2026
Robert James Miller (Bob), 97, died peacefully at his home in Rifle, Colorado, on Feb. 14, 2026.
Bob was born in 1928 in Canton, Ohio, to Ethel and Loyal Miller. As a youth he lived in Colorado long enough to fall in love with its natural beauty and returned after high school to work and ultimately to attend college at Western State and Colorado State University, attaining a bachelor’s degree in range management. His college was covered by the G.I. Bill after he served in World War II as a military policeman.
He spent 38 years with the U.S. Forest Service, working first as a ranger conservationist. He started in this position in Utah, then transferred to Rico, Colorado. His career took him to Steamboat Springs, then to Meeker (where he met his wife, Karen, of 60 years), Colorado Springs (where they celebrated the birth of their first child, Tracy) and Lakewood (where they welcomed their second child, Wes). While living in Colorado Springs and Lakewood, Bob was on the volunteer Vail ski patrol. They moved to Glenwood Springs in 1977, where Bob became the White River Forest recreation director. This was an ideal job for a person who loved to be outdoors experiencing nature. His days were filled with skiing to assess ski area permits and hiking/horseback riding to assess campgrounds and trails. During fire season, he simultaneously served as a wildland firefighter for Type 1, 2 and 3 teams. Ultimately he served as incident commander for the Rocky Mountain Incident Command Team for three years, covering several large fires and the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska.
He retired from the Forest Service in 1990 and became a real estate associate broker with Bray Realty for 10 years before retiring to be a horse rancher in Silt, Colo. He also served as a volunteer on the Grand River Hospital Board and on the Garfield Co. Noxious Weed Committee.
Bob loved the outdoors and was a hiker, skier, horseback rider and hunter throughout his life. He was an avid runner and reader of fiction, current events and Western history. In his later life, he loved to soak in the sun and play games. He enjoyed meeting new people and always had a twinkle in his eye and a joke in mind to share with anyone nearby. Bob had many lifelong friends from his various career paths. Wherever he went, he left a trail of friendships that lasted his lifetime. He was usually accompanied by a dog or two, and for most of his life owned horses. He passed his love of nature, physical activity, friendship and animal companionship onto his family as a devoted husband, father, grandfather and friend.
Bob is survived by his wife, Karen; son, Wes, and daughter-in-law, Tracy, of Silt, Colo.; daughter, Tracy, and son-in-law, Alan Brewer, of Nederland, Colo.; granddaughters Ellie and Madi; brother, Bruce, of Florida; and Bruce’s children, Greg and Cindy. He is preceded in death by his parents and two sisters.
And so, with sadness, peace and love, we send this old cowboy off into the Western sunset with the words he chose to be said of him: ‘He loved the national forests and all the world of natural things.’
A celebration of life will be held in the spring. If you are so inclined, please donate to Special Olympics in his name.
(Special Olympics Tribute Giving: https://www.specialolympics.org/get-involved/donate/special-olympics-tribute-giving)
