PORT GIBSON — Lt. Col. Walter R. “Russ” Miller Jr., 65, died Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2011, in San Antonio, Texas. He was a graduate of Port Gibson High School and went on to receive his Master’s from Webster University.

He was married to the former Carol Hightower and they had two children.

Col. Miller served in the U.S. Army for 27 years. He was a veteran of the Vietnam War, where he received several medals, including the Distinguished Flying Cross (Fourth Oak Leaf Cluster), the Bronze Star and the Air Medal Second Award with “V” Device for Heroism. In 2000, he was inducted into the University of Mississippi Army ROTC Hall of Fame, where he had previously served as commander.

After retiring from the Army, Col. Miller served as president of Chamberlain Hunt Academy in Port Gibson for two years. At the time of his death, he was senior vice president of RiverHills Bank.

Col. Miller served on the Board of Directors, and previously as president, for Southwest Mississippi Electric Power Association in Lorman and on the South Mississippi Electric Power Association in Hattiesburg.

As a community leader, he served on the Main Street Board of Directors and won the Paul Coggin Memorial Award for all his accomplishments in this position. Col. Miller was chairman of the Republican Party of Claiborne County, on the Board of Directors for the Claiborne County Chamber of Commerce, chairman of the Claiborne County Veterans Association, president of Wintergreen Cemetery Association. He was currently serving on the Claiborne County Port Commission as an appointee of Gov. Haley Barbour.

Col. Miller was preceded in death by his father, Walter R. Miller; parents, Kate and Percy Wroten; son, Walter R. Miller III; and sister, Linda Wroten Styron.

He is survived by his wife of 47 years, Carol Hightower Miller; a daughter, Angie Miller Hudson of Waco, Texas; sisters, Joyce Miller Kendrick (Bart) of Fairview, Texas, and JoAnne Miller Lowe of Port Gibson; five granchildren, Courtney, Lindsey and Coy Miller and Amanda and Sarah Hudson; and several nieces and nephews.

Services will be at Port Gibson United Methodist Church on Saturday, Nov. 5, with visitation from 12:30 until 2:30 p.m. and funeral at 3. Military burial will follow at Wintergreen Cemetery in Port Gibson.

Honorary pallbearers will be Joe Carpenter, Bob Dillion, David Fonda, Robert Gage, Mott Headley Jr., Mike Keen, Bart Kendrick, Doug King, Bill Kirksey, Perc McCaa, Jay Middleton and Don Wilson.