Craig Elwood Miller

Craig Elwood Miller was born in Orange, CA on Saturday, November 2, 1946 to Robert (Bob) and Velma Miller. Craig was the second of three sons and has an older brother Michael (Mike) and a younger brother Terry. He grew up in Orange and spent his time attending school and tending to the many orange groves owned by his parents and other relatives. Craig attended St. John’s Lutheran School through eighth grade, was confirmed on April 10, 1960, went to Portola Middle School and graduated from Orange High School in 1964. At Orange High, he played football and basketball. His senior year, the Orange High basketball team made it to the C.I.F. quarter finals.

After graduating high school, Craig attended California State University, Fullerton where he majored in Mechanical Engineering and earned a Bachelor of Science degree and then a Master of Science degree, both in Mechanical Engineering. While at Cal State Fullerton, Craig met Melinda Roberts and the two were smitten and inseparable after their first encounter.

Craig and Melinda were married on November 22, 1969, and moved to Anaheim where they bought their first house. They had two sons, Raymond Elwood in 1972 and David Andrew in 1974, and daughter Jamie Elizabeth in 1977. In 1979, they moved to Orange and welcomed their second daughter Stacey Rebecca, which completed their family. They continue to reside in the same house in Orange.

Craig had a successful Engineering career with Fluor Corporation. He worked a short time for Santa Fe and Bechtel, but spent the majority of his years with Fluor, retiring in 2016 after 43 years. In his early years, he helped design and build the Trans Alaska Pipeline. His Engineering career included instructing engineering classes at both Cal State Fullerton and Saddleback College while his children were growing up.

His two hobbies were gardening and deep sea fishing. His house in Orange provided ample opportunity to garden - from plants like tomatoes, squash, beans, broccoli, and cauliflower to a variety of fruit trees and so much more. He spent weekends tending to those plants and trees and their dinner table was always plentiful.

Deep sea fishing was a big passion of Craig’s. His Uncle George Kuechel, who Craig looked up to, introduced him to the sport, and they enjoyed many trips together. Craig fished on several boats in San Diego but most frequently on the Royal Polaris. Craig shared this passion with his youngest daughter Stacey, taking her on her first trip after she graduated high school. This became an annual adventure for the two, and Craig added a few more solo trips each year, fishing about three trips a year.

When he retired from Fluor he relaxed at home, enjoying the work friendships with a few annual lunch and dinner meet-ups and staying connected via email. He and Melinda enjoyed trips to Yuma, visiting with his cousins and his Aunt and Uncle and talking about farming.

Craig is survived by his brothers Mike and Terry Miller; his wife Melinda and his four children: Raymond, David, Jamie and Stacey; and his cat Smokey.

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