At 11:40 a.m. on Tuesday, April 22, Pendleton Fire Department sounded the final call for one of its finest, Ralph Miller, as he was laid to rest. Miller was the chief for thirty years.

“Someone famous said that image is everything,” stated his longtime friend, Dick Godbey. “If this is true, Ralph Miller was small in stature, but he had an image of a huge man.” Godbey joined others at a special service, held on April 22, to share memories and celebrate Miller’s life.

“Ralph kept everyone in line and kept everybody going the same direction,” said Godbey.

“He had a knack for recruiting proud, dedicated hometown people.”

Those individuals were there on Tuesday to say good-bye. As a large number of them waited in line to pay final respects, public safety officials from Pendleton Fire Department and Pendleton Emergency Ambulance took turns standing solemnly at the head and foot of Miller’s casket in a final act of tribute.

Godbey said he admired Miller as a young boy, and applied for a position on the fire department as soon as he was old enough. He stayed on for 32 years.

Miller ran his own oil and gas delivery business. Godbey often rode along with him on Saturdays as he made his rounds delivering fuel to local residences. Miller kept a handwritten log to record the dates and number of gallons delivered. Later, those notes were used to tabulate invoices.

“Occasionally, we’d pump fuel at someone’s house and Ralph didn’t write it on a ticket. When I asked why, Ralph said he knew the family had hit hard times and couldn’t afford to pay for it. And, that was the end of the story,” Godbey said.

In later years, Miller helped Godbey in his construction business. He spent so much time cutting, and staining woodwork in the barn, Godbey’s grandchildren began referring to him simply as “the man who lives in the barn.”

When Godbey’s wife took a notion to redecorate, he told Miller he needed a couple hundred multi-colored wooden tulips. Miller washed his hands of the idea. But, the upstairs of the barn looked like a flower garden the following morning.

He said Miller also participated in an unusual sharecropping arrangement. “Ralph furnished and planted the crop, watered, fertilized, weeded, harvested the produce and canned the stuff for me. It was a pretty good arrangement,” Godbey laughed.

In addition to his many other activities, Miller drove a school bus for many years for South Madison Community School Corporation. His nephew, Dwayne Huntzinger, said Miller carried on a tradition of taking his young riders roller skating every year for Christmas. “Everyone who knew Uncle Ralph respected him,” said Huntzinger.

Kurt Kahl, too, recalled early admiration for Miller. As a boy, he chased the fire truck around town on his bike just to watch Miller and his crew in action. Kahl eventually became fire chief, himself. At last week’s celebration service, he described Miller as a born leader. He said Miller’s dedication to the town was particularly demonstrated in 1975 when a local funeral home decided to get out of the ambulance business. The fire department took it over, and under Miller’s leadership, Pendleton Ambulance Service was organized. Within three months, there were trained emergency medical technicians on duty.

“There are many people you meet along life’s way. There are trees in the forest of all different heights. There aren’t any taller than Ralph was,” said Kahl in a final farewell to his friend.

PEA Chief Donnie Meyer said Miller taught him to be a leader. Meyer took over as chief eight years ago and has held the position longer than anyone. Meyer said he is proud of both departments, and said they wouldn’t exist without Miller’s broad base of knowledge about the town and the good foundation he laid. Now, when he is complimented for doing a good job, Meyer said he knows it’s because Miller taught him well.