Elmer B. Miller, 74, of Bismarck, formerly of Washburn, ND, died December 15, 2015 at CHI St. Alexius in Bismarck.

A funeral service will be held 11:00 A.M. Monday, December 21st at the Washburn Baptist Church, 414 5th Ave. in Washburn, with Pastor Rick Torkelson officiating. Burial will follow at 3:00 PM Monday at the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery.

Visitation will be held from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM Sunday at Goetz Funeral Home in Washburn and will continue Monday one hour prior to the funeral service at the church.

Elmer Burl Miller was born August 3, 1941 in Steele, ND to Elmer & Clara (Vik) Miller. He was the oldest of 7 children, but tragically lost his mother and six siblings to a house fire when he was 12 years old. Elmer attended rural school and graduated from Tuttle High School in 1959. He joined the U.S. Army and served from 1959 to 1961. Following his honorable discharge, Elmer moved to Bismarck where he worked for Firestone Tire & Automotive and Atlas Concrete Ready Mix. He met his future wife while cruising Main Street in Bismarck and he and JoAnn Triebwasser were later married June 24, 1967 in Goodrich, ND.

Elmer & JoAnn moved to Washburn in 1970 where they resided until the Spring of 2014 when they moved to Bismarck. While in Washburn, Elmer fulfilled his dream of owning his own service station, Elmer's Standard. He later worked for Cenex and Unistop in Washburn before finally retiring in 2013. He was a long time member of the Washburn American Legion Post 12.

Elmer served on the Washburn City Commission for 12 years, 4 years in which he served as Mayor of Washburn. He loved to visit with people and would often take his dog, "Cuddles", driving around town with him. Elmer was a fan of classic cars, owning several in his lifetime. He enjoyed taking photographs and traveling. His dream trip was taken in 2011 when he traveled to Germany and Odessa, Russia to visit the homeland of his grandfather. A couple of years ago, Elmer enjoyed a bus tour/trip to the U.S. eastern seaboard states. In his lifetime travels, he was 3 states shy of visiting all 50 states.

Most importantly, Elmer's greatest pride and joy were his grandkids. They always brightened his day. He will be deeply missed by all of those who knew and loved him.

He is survived by his wife of 48 years, JoAnn Miller of Bismarck; three daughters, Kimberly (Michael) Leingang of Bismarck, Karmen (Dennis) Freeman of Carrington, & Karen Miller of Bismarck; six grandchildren, Christopher, Courtney, & Colin Leingang, Willow Johnson, and Kirby & Rowdy Freeman; and his mother-in-law, Doris Triebwasser of Harvey.

Elmer was preceded in death by his parents, four sisters (Sharon, Jeannie, Aileen, & Deborah), two brothers (Larry & Ronald), his father-in-law (Adolph Triebwasser), a grandson (Matthew Leingang), and a niece (Shelly Pegors).

Memorials may be mailed to Goetz Funeral Home, PO Box 436, Washburn, ND 58577.