Passed away on Friday, February 7, 2020. Beloved husband of 48 years to Jill Meyer; loving father of Julie (Craig) Dull, Jennifer (Duane) Punnewaert and Lauren (Darin) Hoggatt; dearest Papa of Olivia, Brooke, Kate, Caroline, Miles, Emery, and Elizabeth; dear brother-in-law, nephew, uncle, cousin and friend to many.
Miles was a devoted Christian. Extremely active in his church community, Miles led bible studies, book clubs, participated in Men’s Fellowship, and served on many committees. Miles also enjoyed many hobbies. He frequently went upland hunting and enjoyed training his own hunting dogs, Fritz and Gabi. Miles also loved fly fishing. He studied and practiced tying flies with his fisherman group Fly fishers at The Crossing (FATC). He also enjoyed many personal fly-fishing trips to Montauk with his close friends and family.
Miles avidly played the piano, dedicating almost an hour every day for practice. He performed in an annual recital each year alongside his granddaughters.
Miles had a passion for learning. In his retirement, he was still an active professor for both Michigan State University and Washington University. He collected books and made time every day for reading. His personal library houses over 1,100 books ranging in topics on philosophy, psychology, biographies, science, poetry and more. On his personal desk he kept a quote from Michelangelo, “I am still learning.”
Miles graduated from Michigan State University with a B.A. in Psychology. He later attended Duquesne University and achieved an M.A. in Psychology. He culminated his academic pursuits by obtaining a Ph.D. in Organizational Behavioral Studies from Washington University.
Miles had a long and accomplished career in business. He retired as Vice President of Compensation, Benefits and HR Shared Services at Kellogg Company. His career included director and manager positions at GenCorp/OMNOVA Solutions, Anheuser-Busch, Hay Group and Monsanto. He was a member of the Michigan State Advisory Board, Eli Broad College of Business and a member of the Phi Beta Kappa academic honor society.
Miles enjoyed traveling with his friends and family. During his lifetime he saw much of the world, traveling to Australia, Germany, Japan and England. In the last few years of his retirement, his travels took him to Israel, The Bahamas, Williamsburg, Disney World, New York, Arizona, Italy and many places in between. While he was always up for a great vacation, he loved being at home the most.
Miles was a loving husband, devoted dad, and enthusiastic papa. He loved having family over to the house for parties and celebrations. He relished in the accomplishments of his grandchildren. He was a friend and mentor to many.
Services: Visitation at Kutis Affton Chapel, 10151 Gravois Rd., Wednesday, February 12, 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Visitation will continue at St. Lucas UCC Thursday, February 13, 10:00 a.m. until the funeral service at 11:00 a.m. Interment St. Lucas Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to St. Lucas UCC Preschool or American Cancer Society.