Michael “Mike” John Miller passed away with immense dignity, love and peace at his home in Marietta, Georgia, surrounded by family, on September 29, 2026, at age 80. While lung cancer was the medical cause of his death, Mike fundamentally died of a broken heart after caring for his soulmate and wife Judi, who passed away seven months earlier. They were married for 59 years.
Born and raised in New Prague, Minnesota, Mike lived somewhere between a Renaissance man and a Marlboro man. He fell in love with aviation at 14 and spent his life going faster, farther, and higher. After enlisting in the Army, he became an air traffic controller and control tower supervisor at Airfield K-16 outside Seoul, Korea. He remained a fiercely proud veteran throughout his life.
Mike eventually fell in love with stock car racing, competing in Wisconsin alongside legends including Dick Trickle, Mark Martin, Rusty and Kenny Wallace, and many other lifelong friends. He recorded 116 professional stock car wins across various promotions and finished ninth on the all-time ASA wins list.
Mike was also an entrepreneur who helped build businesses that became part of the fabric of Cherokee County. In the late 1970s, he co-founded Cryogenic Services Incorporated, which eventually moved to Ball Ground and built cryogenic tanks and piping for clients including NASA and BMW. In the 1980s, he became a partner at S&S Aviation at Cherokee County Airport and helped develop it into a thriving aviation facility. Businesses Mike founded and built successfully employ more than 300 people in Cherokee County today.
But Mike’s greatest passion was taking care of Judi and being with his family. He was a devoted father and grandfather who loved teaching, building, cooking, traveling and, naturally, going fast. He was the mayor of just about anywhere that welcomed his cowboy boots and sterling smile. He had a giant, generous heart and an extraordinary ability to make people feel valued.
Mike was also a generous supporter of causes including St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and Tunnel to Towers.
On the last full day of his life, Mike experienced an unexpected gift of faith - he received first communion after a long life of agnosticism.
Mike not only touched countless lives, but transformed many of them. His legacy of love, fun, flying, building, and driving fast (and turning left) lives on.
A Celebration of Life will be held at 3 p.m. October 17, at Cherokee County Airport, 1351 Bishop Road, with another celebration planned for May 2027 in New Prague, Minnesota.
To read more about Mike’s remarkable life, visit darbyfuneralhome.com