We regret to advise of the death of Chief Warrant Officer George "Sonny" Kenneth Asher Miller, CD (Ret’d) peacefully, on 6 October 2016, at the age of 85, in his home after a long battle.
"Sonny" was born in Ottawa, ON in 1930 and enlisted in the Canadian Army in May 1949. He was taken on strength at Army Survey Establishment in November of that year. Trained initially as a Group 1 Surveyor (and later as a Photogrammetrist), he soon participated in numerous field survey tasks - the major one being Watson Lake, Suffield and Dawson Creek in 1950.
Promoted to corporal in 1951, Sonny participated in the Fort Grahame survey and was qualified Group 2 in December of that year. In-house training occupied much of his time until 1953 when he worked on the Fort Ware, Telegraph Creek, Dawson Creek and Suffield surveys and became a Group 3 Photogrammetrist that year. Appointed Acting Sergeant in January 1954, his rank was confirmed in December. His next major field job was at Brochet in 1956 and in 1958 he was on the Arctic Coast survey. In 1959 he qualified as a Group 4 Surveyor/Photogrammetrist.
Sonny was involved with contracts and revision in 1961 - 1962 as a member of the newly formed Revision Section. He was promoted to Staff Sergeant in 1964 and to Master Warrant Officer four years later. In 1972 he was posted to DCarto and placed in charge of the Canadian Forces Map Depot. Awarded the Queen’s Jubilee Medal in 1978, he was promoted to Chief Warrant Officer in 1979. Upon his retirement in May 1986 it was pointed out that he was the last serving member to have worked on a horse-mounted army survey party.
Sonny lived a life of relative ease in retirement until 1998 when he inherited a significant estate that included the company of Lanman & Kemp-Barclay, a privately-held company whose most famous product is “Florida Water.” George assumed the position of its President.
Friends may pay respects at the Kelly Funeral Home, Kanata Chapel, 580 Eagleson Road, Kanata, ON K2M 1H4 on Tuesday, 11 October 2016 from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. Funeral Service Wednesday, 12 October 2016 in the Chapel at 11 a.m. In memoriam donations to Ottawa Humane Society are appreciated. Condolences and Sharing Memories at www.kellyfh.ca. ♦ {khOct2016}
