Robert Miller Obituary, Death – Rob Millar Grimsby, Robert Miller, who was 83 years old, passed away at First Care Health Center on Tuesday, February 14, 2023. Rob Miller is the son of Dean and Eleanor (Trzcinski) Miller. He was born on June 30, 1939 in Grafton, North Dakota. He spent his childhood on the farm his family owned, where he attended country school, the seventh and eighth grades in Fordville, and ultimately Walsh County Agriculture School, where he graduated with the class of 1958. As a result of his time while playing football with the Aggies, he became known as “The Crusher.”
Rob was involved in several activities, including 4H, music, and FFA, where he served as a state officer and sang in the national FFA chorus. He earned degrees in both history and animal science from North Dakota State University. During his time at NDSU, he competed in the Little International, played freshman football for the school’s squad, was a member of the Saddle & Sirloin Club, and judged cattle. Rob married Rose Lynne Beetz in 1961 in East Grand Forks, MN. They raised their four children and worked the land together on the family farm, which they shared with his father Dean and his brother Jim. The second biggest delight in Bob’s life, after his family, was growing registered shorthorn cattle. His favorite teams were the Red, White, and Roan. There were not many animals that better exemplified the shorthorn breed than these.
He was a member of the American Shorthorn Association, the North Dakota Shorthorn Association, and the North Dakota Stockman’s Association, and he launched the North Dakota Shorthorn News with assistance from the Ness Press Tri County Sun of Fordville. Rob had a great time seeing his family exhibit cattle at the North Dakota Winter Show and the National Western in Denver, Colorado, for many years. In 1977, he was given the “Builder of the Breed” award, and in 1986 and 1999, he was given the “Man of the Year” award and the ND Winter Show Appreciation Award. Rob also attended the First Presbyterian Church in Fordville and was a member there.
Rob was a tenacious, honest, and hard-working guy who fostered a strong work ethic and a love of the land in his family. Rob’s family loved the land and worked hard. His hobbies were gardening, polka dancing, and listening to early rock & roll. His favorite topics of conversation were politics and history. After suffering a stroke in 2021, he was relieved to be able to return home, but he was disheartened that he would no longer be able to assist on the farm.
Rob is survived by his wife of 62 years, Rose Lynne, his daughters Roberta Francis (Gene) of Adams, ND and Lisa Montgomery, New York, NY; his son Philip (Marilyn), Devils Lake, ND; his daughter-in-law Joan Miller Swartz (Jarrett); his brother Jim (Joan); his sister Linda Larson (Gary); his sisters and brothers-in-law Daphne (Rob) Sobolik and Ann (Dennis) His parents, his mother and father-in-law, his cherished son Ian, and his son-in-law, Marvin Montgomery, all passed away before him. His brother Mike also passed away before him.