Harold D. Miller

Mr. Harold D. Miller, 91, of Elkhart, has finally convinced the Good Lord to let him into Heaven after a lifetime of laughter, practical jokes and fun. “I had a good run”, he would have said about himself, and everyone agrees that while it’s time for Harold to prop his feet up and enjoy a well-deserved rest, his jokes, sense of humor and love for all things funny will be greatly missed.

 The former self- proclaimed “Grand Mayor of Dunlap”  was born April 10, 1929 in Elkhart to the late Ernest and Clara (Emmert) Miller and is survived by his children Bradford “Brad” Miller of Elkhart and Michael (Shirley) Miller of Goshen, Dawn (Dave) Powell of Middlebury and Brian (Tammi) Smittendorf and Lori (Thom) Freeder, also both of Elkhart; his brother Arden Miller of Elkhart; a grandson and two granddaughters. Also left to cherish his memory is a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, extended family, friends, Air Force buddies, wise guys, former constituents and, well….clowns. We’ll explain that in a minute.

Harold is also preceded in death by his sons Stephen Miller and Michael Smittendorf and his brothers Raymond and Donald Miller.

Prairie Street Cemetery of Elkhart will host Harold’s graveside services on Wednesday, October 28, 2020 at 11:00 am, where the United States Air Force Funeral Honor Guard and Elkhart DAV Post #19 will render military honors. A brief service will follow the honors. Billings Funeral Home and Cremation Services of Elkhart have been assisting the family with cremation arrangements.

Harold loved everything cars and was, among other things, a successful self-taught, self-employed auto auctioneer. Wholesale, retail, trade, repo….it didn’t make a difference in Harold’s eyes, he loved the thrill of the deal. He was also an honorably discharged veteran of the US Air Force during the Korean War, receiving a purple heart in the line of duty. But if you asked Harold, he’d tell you it was the most non-sensical award he ever received as his “wounds” came from a stubborn filing cabinet drawer that wouldn’t shut that he tripped over.

Sweet, loveable, and always endearing, Harold loved to laugh and make others laugh as well. He was blessed with the ability to see humor in everything, and he took that natural talent and ran with it. In fact, he was able to funnel his insatiable humor and ever-present smile into the age-ole role of “professional” clown, and absolutely loved dressing up in outrageous clothing with his painted on smile and crank out some laughs to the enjoyment of the young and old alike! Harold also loved soaring like a bird and was able to achieve a private pilot’s license where he also reveled in treating his family and friends to breathtaking winged adventures. His affinity with flying no doubt started after the terrible filing cabinet accident.

Finally, it should be noted that Harold was also a staunch supporter of his own personal political beliefs, and was threatening running for President on an independent ticket if the other two ding-a-lings couldn’t get their collective acts together. “Vote early and often!” Harold would jokingly say, privately hoping that everyone had placed their early vote for “The Don” prior to Harold’s passing.      

Memorial donations may be given in Harold’s memory to the Elkhart Salvation Army, 300 N. Main Street, Elkhart, IN 46516, or to the charity of one’s choice. Thank you for your interest in Harold’s life story

                        “Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio…a man of infinite jest and most excellent fancy, who bore me up on his shoulders I know not how oft…..Where be your gibes now? Your gambols? Your songs? Your flashes of merriment that were wont to set the whole table upon a roar?......

                                                                                      William Shakespeare;  Hamlet

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Harold D. Miller, please visit our floral store.