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<p><em>Tod Weston Miller</em> was born December 31, 1955 to Robert and Eulamae Miller in Tahlequah, OK, where he grew up and went to school. Tod and his father enjoyed fishing, camping, and hunting, and both were involved in Boy Scouts. He started playing football (his passion) in the seventh grade and continued to play through high school, where he was also active with student council and the 4-H Club. </p>
<p>Tod’s mother was the driving force behind his application to West Point. Once there, he earned the moniker of “cowboy” and parlayed his quick wit and readiness to lend a hand to those in need into a posse of friends. He was initially assigned to Company B-1 and then was subsequently assigned to A-1. His main extracurricular activity was 150-pound football, which he played all four years. Tod quarterbacked the team in his senior year, until an injury sidelined him for the rest of the season. His leadership on the gridiron translated to cadet life in general, and he was selected the commander of 1st Battalion, 1st Regiment, for second detail. On Branch Night, Tod went Infantry and chose Fort Hood, TX for his first assignment, going from the Black Knights of West Point to the Black Knights of the 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment. He also convinced his classmate Jim Nagy (the 150-pound football alternate quarterback who took over the reins once Tod was injured) to choose Fort Hood as his first post. Upon graduation, Tod was ready to see his alma mater in the rear-view mirror, which he did in style, driving his brown Datsun 280Z out the gates and westward to visit his family in Oklahoma for graduation leave. </p>
<p>After leave, Tod headed south to Fort Hood. Within a week of his arrival, Tod’s battalion went to the field to be evaluated by Jim Nagy’s battalion, 2-12th Cav. As fate would have it, Jim was Tod’s platoon evaluator. Ten weeks later, Tod and Jim attended the Infantry Officer Basic Course at Fort Benning, GA and then returned to their respective units. After Fort Hood, their paths diverged, and they lost touch. Such was the case with many of Tod’s classmates. He wasn’t much for looking back or fretting about the future. He focused on the here and now.</p>
<p>Tod’s sister, Rosemary, said that he had wanted to transition to be a helicopter pilot, but when that didn’t work out, he decided to resign his commission. Tod moved back to Tahlequah and worked with his uncle in construction. About a year later, he transferred to the company’s operation in Granbury, TX. In 1985, he married and became stepfather to Ronnie and Carrie. He and his wife started a fitness center, which thrived for a decade. Carrie characterized this period of Tod’s life as follows:</p>
<p><em>Tod came into my life when I was a pre-teen and my brother was a teenager. God bless him! He was never a stepdad to me—he was my dad. He invested his love in our family by assistant-coaching my softball team, spending one-on-one time with each of us, teaching my brother and me how to drive, helping with homework (he was a genius in our eyes!), and teaching me a sport that I grew to enjoy very much, racquetball. He was a kind, easy-going person and became one of my favorite people in the world. He was a man of integrity, honor, and loved the simple pleasures in life. He was always there for us, to encourage us, to lovingly discipline us, to guide us, to mentor us, to show us true hard work and to celebrate our accomplishments. He believed in us whole heartedly. He told me I was a “gem” and throughout my adult years we had the best conversations that I miss so much. Tod always had the perfect comforting words. He adored all his grandchildren and had special times with them as well. Every single day, I still hear the words he said to me frequently: “Keep on keepin’ on.” </em></p>
<p>After Tod’s father was diagnosed with throat cancer, he and his family moved to Tahlequah to be closer to his parents. For the next 20-plus years, Tod worked for W.N. Couch Contractors as a jobsite foreman and later with Sherwood Construction, initially as a foreman and then as its safety engineer. He retired on June 22, 2018. </p>
<p>Tod took pleasure in simple things: time with family and friends, including trips with his mother to casinos; fishing; rooting for his favorite football teams and playing racquetball. One of his best friends, Scott Meyer (who jokingly claims they were brothers from different mothers), often joined Tod in two of those passions: fishing and racquetball. Scott tells of a time when they were fishing, immersed in the water in inflatable tubes, and he caught a big fish. As Scott reeled the fish in, it got caught in some netting on top of the tube and one hook of the multi-hook lure ended up piercing the tube and another pierced Scott’s hand. Tod came over to help and they eventually got the hook out of Scott’s profusely-bleeding hand. Sensing some resignation in Scott, Tod looked at him and said, “You’re not going to quit now, are you?” </p>
<p>That was Tod: quiet, kind, competitive in a gentlemanly way and exceptionally devoted to those he loved and cared for. From every account, they loved him back with equal devotion.</p>
<p>Tod passed away on June 22, 2019 from diabetic complications. He is buried in the Fort Gibson National Cemetery, Fort Gibson, OK.</p>
<p><em>— Robert Hill, Rosemary Miller Holcomb, family, friends and classmates</em></p>
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