Allen F. Miller, age 87, passed away Monday, August 7, 2023, after a short battle with lung cancer.
Al was born on May 11, 1936 to Arnold and Margaret Miller in Manitowoc WI. He went to St. Paul’s and St. Joe’s elementary schools, then graduated from Lincoln High School in 1954. He was an entrepreneur from a young age and whether he was running his own paper route, working for a canning factory, or working as a clerk at a Kroger grocery store, he was always up to something.
After high school, Al spent six years in the National Guard, where he traveled to places such as South Carolina and Florida. He spoke fondly of those trips.
Al married Nancy Wier in November 1963 and they had three children – Lisa (1964), Kim (1965), and Steve (1968). Nancy preceded him in death on September 27, 1972.
In 1973 Al purchased 15 acres of land, designed his own home and then built it. It took years and he was immensely proud of the finished product. He raised his family there, had a large garden and took pride in tending his many trees and flowers.
Al worked at Manitowoc Engineering for almost 30 years where he began as an estimator and worked his way to head of the pricing department. An extremely intelligent man, he did this all without a college degree. When he was done “managing people” he pursued his other passion – antiques. In 1992, he and his business partner Jay, opened Three Barns Full 2. The two of them transformed a barn into a store and Al filled it with hundreds of antiques. Three Barns Full became a popular stop for antique lovers. Al had his fifteen minutes of fame when he and his shop were featured on an episode of “Discover Wisconsin”. Al loved taking care of the shop and building relationships with both the antique distributers and his loyal customers.
Al was an exceptional grandfather to his seven grandchildren. He hosted Christmas, complete with gift tags written in a homemade code that grandchildren had to decipher every year in order to figure out which gift belonged to them. He had exceptional family Easter egg hunts, Packer parties, an annual “neighbor night” celebration for his wonderful neighbors, and more. Family frequently gathered around his kitchen table to play cribbage. Al was an avid Wisconsin sports fan, specifically football and college basketball. He watched every game, was very knowledgeable and could talk about the Packers and Badgers for hours.
Al is survived by his siblings: Eugene Miller, Manitowoc WI; Marian Blanchard, Green Bay WI; Rita Muench, Manitowoc WI.
Al is survived by his children and their kids: daughter Lisa (Paul) Krzyzaniak, Plymouth WI; daughter Kim Senn, Castle Rock CO; son Steven (Chrissy) Miller, Manitowoc WI. Seven grandchildren: Josh (Mary) Wolfe, Chicago IL; Ryan Miller, Manitowoc WI; Kaitlyn (Steven) Fons, Madison WI; Lane Miller, Manitowoc WI; Carter Krzyzaniak, Plymouth WI; Paige Miller, Manitowoc WI; Annabelle Senn, Fort Collins CO. Great-grandchild: Dimitri Wolfe, Evanston IL.
In addition to Nancy, he was preceded in death by his parents Arnold and Margaret Miller, sister-in-law Kay Miller, brother-in-law Greg Blanchard, nephew Eric Blanchard, niece Melanie Miller, and son-in-law Jon Senn.
Funeral Services will be held at 11:00 AM on Friday, August 11, 2023, at St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church, 8100 Brunner Road, Newton, with burial to follow at Calvary Cemetery, Manitowoc. Relatives and friends may call at the church from 9:00 AM until the time of Mass at 11:00 AM.
The Lakeshore Family Funeral Homes, Pfeffer location, is assisting the family. Online condolences may be expressed by visiting www.lakeshorefamilyfuneralhomes.com
In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the Newton First Responders.