Russell Wallace Miller

Russell (Russ or Rusty) Wallace Miller, age 78, passed away at home in Vancouver, Washington on Dec. 30, 2020.
Rusty Miller was born May 30, 1942 in Hood River, Oregon. With his parents and sister Mary, he moved to Chelan in 1946. He was active in high school events,  announcing football and basketball games. He was also active in the Boy Scouts and the Order of the Arrow as a teenager. He graduated from Chelan High School in 1960. He earned an Associates degree from Wenatchee Valley College in 1963 and enlisted in the Air Force Reserves, earning an honorable discharge in 1969. He married Kathy Eddy in 1967 and they had one daughter. He worked for Valley Evaporating Company in Chelan Falls and Yakima for nearly three decades. In the 1980s, he owned a small bookstore in West Seattle.  He and Kathy retired to Chelan and eventually moved to Vancouver.
Rusty Miller found his community in the world of chess. He loved to play chess, organize chess tournaments, and promote chess. He traveled to play in the U.S. Open chess tournament on multiple occasions. He rubbed shoulders with and played against some of the best players in the United States and the world. He missed his chance of seeing Bobby Fischer play by not traveling to Vancouver, B.C. in 1971, which he regretted all his life.
Rusty is survived by is wife Kathy, daughter Ielleen Miller, siblings Mary Harper and J.D. Miller.
He was preceded in death by his parents Wallace J. Miller and Martha Jane Miller of Chelan.
Due to Covid-19, a memorial will be held once it is safe to gather together again.