Dorsey Derr Miller

Dorsey Derr Miller, age 86, of Bel Air, MD, died on March 8, 2010 at University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore. Born in Laurel Springs, NC, he was the son of the late Britten Earns Miller and Mary M. Bare Miller Dotson, and husband, for nearly 50 years, of the late Frances Robinson Miller. A veteran of the U.S. Army Air Corp, he served our country during WWII volunteering for service at the age of 20. He went for Basic Training in Biloxi, MS, Keesler Field, AL for flight school, then Avon Park, FL, lastly attending Bomber Mechanic School in CA.

A resident of Harford County since 1958, he had worked for General Motors, then went to Martin Marietta where he met his wife. He got a job at Goddard Space Center, as well as, Fairchild Industries, manufacturers of the A-10 airplanes. He was the head Quality Control Supervisor for Fairchild's satellite project in the late 1970's that transmitted video for the space mission where the U.S. astronauts linked together with Russian cosmonauts in space. He received the personal thanks of the president of Fairchild for insisting on visually inspecting the satellite as it was being readied for transport. During this inspection it was discovered that the satellite was improperly secured. Without his action, the satellite would have toppled over and been destroyed as it was moved.

An avid reader, he had his own library of over 1, 000 political, historical, scientific, and especially, Civil War history books. He was very active in political and current events and was a huge fan of Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher, Winston Churchill, and General Robert E. Lee. He was a member of the I.W.L.A. of Harford County Chapter and a 23 year member of the American Legion Post #39. An avid knife collector, he enjoyed traveling, was a horse racing fan, and loved dogs.

Mr. Miller is survived by his son, Zachary Miller of Belcamp, MD; daughter, Mary M. Bradley and husband, Robert L., of Bel Air, MD; granddaughter, Jeanne F. Marks and husband, Garret L., of Parkville, MD; and great-grandsons, Ryan A. and Erik L. Marks of Parkville. In addition to his parents and wife, he was predeceased by his brother, Lester L. Miller who lived in NC and his daughter-in-law, Margaret Pfarr-Miller.

Those who desire may contribute to the Humane Society of Harford County, 2208 Connelly Road, Fallston, MD 21047.