Miller, Willard Murray Passed away peacefully with his family by his side at Riverside Glen on Saturday, December 15, 2012, at the age of 89. Predeceased by his wife, Françoise (Mailloux). He will be dearly missed by his children Catherine (Denis) Naud of London, Marg (Bob) King of Guelph, Michael of Breslau, John of Brampton, Madeleine Pryce of Guelph and Pierre (Shelley Sheppard) of Grand Valley. He is survived by his grandchildren Carolyn (Mathieu) Dumont of Mississauga, Kevin (Anna) Naud of Whitby, Scott King (Ronit Schwabe) of Seoul, South Korea, Matthew King (Milena Gavrilovic) of Guelph, Jacqueline (Matt) Gramm of Victoria B.C., Curtis of Elora, Kayla, Devon, Nicole and Cory Pryce of Guelph, Rowan, Griffin, Sam and Ava Miller, Isaac, Isabella and Emmileigh Miller of Grand Valley. He is survived by his great grandchildren Eric, Julia and Alyssa Dumont and Kennedy and Avery Naud. Willard was born in Woolwich Township where he grew up on his family’s dairy farm. He was a veteran of World War II having served in the RCAF. He earned his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Toronto (1949) and his Master of Arts from McGill University (1962). Willard taught French at CWDHS in Fergus from 1963-1982. After his retirement, his teaching continued at the University of Guelph and in Mexico. He was a soft spoken, gentle man who loved the company of others. His door was always open; he thrived on meeting new people; he was passionate about languages and other cultures and his humour was ever present. He loved to stay active, enjoyed reading, gardening, travelling, music and singing. Throughout his life, he took strength from his faith. Willard led a happy, busy and fulfilled life and this continued during his years at Riverside Glen. Our family wishes to express our heartfelt gratitude to everyone for their friendship, compassion, care and support of our father during the past four years. Thank you to Dr. J. Laird and staff and many other caregivers who enhanced his final months. He was blessed to have all of you in his life. During his career in education, Willard taught countless students and his teaching legacy will continue with his generous donation of his body to the Human Anatomy Program at the University of Guelph. A memorial service will be held at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church on Saturday, January 5, 2013, at 11:00 a.m. Luncheon to follow. As an expression of sympathy, donations made to the Alzheimer Society or Canadian Cancer Society would be greatly appreciated by the family.
