Funeral service for Dewitt W. Miller, Sr., 97, will be Monday, May 13, 2024 at 1:00 PM at Peck Funeral Home Chapel with Peck Funeral Home directing. Burial will be in Roselawn Cemetery. Visitation will be Monday, May 13, 2024 from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM at Peck Funeral Home.
Mr. Miller died on Friday, May 10, 2024. He was born March 11, 1927, in Oklahoma, to William Otto Miller and Irene Dora Enis Miller.
Mr. Miller went to school until the 8th Grade and had to drop out in order to support his Mother and siblings. He joined the United States Navy in 1942, at the age of 15, and was 16 upon finishing Boot Camp in Great Lakes, Illinois and was then assigned to the USS Shangrila. In 1946, he was assigned to test the A-Bomb at sea, and right after that was discharged.
He then married Carolyn Hill on November 26, 1946 and had 5 Children- Risa Diane, Elizabeth Carolyn, Charlotte Adria, Linda , and Dewitt William, Jr. In 1951, he was drafted into the United States Army in Birmingham, AL and was stationed at Fort Jackson, S.C.
At one time, he was chosen to guard and escort Miss America. She was Miss Alabama and won Miss America. Her name was Yolanda Betbeze and she shocked pageant organizers and sponsors when she refused to wear a bathing suit in public.
Charlotte was born August 25,1951 and you could not be in the Service if you had 3 children. He was discharged on September 20, 1951. He couldn’t find work in Alabama so he moved his family to Hammond, IN and they lived there until 1953. They then moved back to Alabama in 1953 and he went to work for Virginia Steel until 1959. He was made President of the Local #454 for 4 years at that time. In 1955, he was saved at Pike Avenue Church of God. In 1956, he was elected Superintendent of Sunday School. In 1959, He left Virginia Steel and bought a Gulf Service Station, in Birmingham, Alabama and owned the station until 1963. In 1963, he and Carolyn ended their marriage of 17 years.
He later married Gail Randolph and they had 2 children, Dedie Sherese and Angelia Gwen and then moved to Florida in 1969 and opened another Gulf Service Station in Palmetto, Florida. He owned this station until 1971. During this time, he joined the Boilermaker Union, sold the Station and started working as a boilermaker. He was sent to Puerto Rico for 16 months. In 1973, he moved back to Hartselle, Alabama to a house that he had bought in 1969. In 1975, the Alaskan Pipeline opened and he went to work as a welder on the pipeline for a time but left for 4 months of R & R and did not go back. “The Local” then sent him to Brown’s Ferry Nuclear Plant in 1976 and in 1977 he fell 40 feet and injured his back, had to go through 6 operations and finally in 1984 retired out with disability. In 1986, he and Gail ended their marriage.
After some time, in 2005, he reunited with Faye Ackerman, whom he had known in 1987-88. They enjoyed dancing, boating, fishing and camping. Through it all family had been the most important thing to him, second only to God.
Preceding him in death were his parents, his son: William, Miller, Jr., brothers: Buford, George, Arlie and Wade and sisters: Christine Ballew and Annie Sue Evans.
Survivors include:
Daughters- Angie Bicard (Rod)
Risa “Diane” Neely
Elizabeth Summers (Chip) Timothy)
Charlotte Acton
Linda Watley (Roy)
Dedie Miller
Brother – Frankie Crider
Sixteen Grandchildren
A host of Great Grandchildren
A Plethora of Great Great Grandchildren
and a host of nieces and nephews.
Pallbearers will be Derek, James, Joseph, Tyler, Eli and Chandler.
Peck Funeral Home
