Tony Dale Miller was born on September 8th, 1991 and he passed away on April 25th, 2025, after a short battle with pneumonia.

He left us so young that many of us are still reeling in shock that he has passed away. And, No, it definitely isn't fair. Life is cruel like that sometimes. Tony had such a confident, dynamic and vibrant personality that his death has left the world around us with less color and light. I won't stand here and tell you he couldn't sometimes be down right aggravating, stubborn as hell and very human. As we all have our flaws, so did he. If he were perfect, he would have been boring. And our dear Tony Miller was definitely not boring.

He is survived by his young son, Leo, His beloved Gran, Fran Tate, his Mother Denise Miller, and his two younger half brothers, Evan Messinger and Justin Messinger. His father preceded him is death in 2001. The truth is that Tony never ceased grieving for his fiance´, Tricia, who preceded him in death several years ago. I would like to imagine they are now reunited. Perhaps Tony is now peaceful and happy by her side.

He loved his son Leo and his family abundantly, and extremely well. He enjoyed baseball, fishing, swimming, boating, water skiing, fishing, tubing, and gaming, but those of us that knew him knew he really really loved blowing stuff up. He was passionate about the 4th of July or any other holiday or opportunity to light a fuse and make the show happen for everyone. That twinkle in his eye and the boyish giggle he couldn't contain when something went BOOM, was delightfully endearing, even if it always seemed a little psycho… You just loved that he loved it so much.

You hear the expression, "He would give you his last dime if he felt you needed it"? Well, Tony's love language was giving those he loved things he knew they would enjoy.

Tony spent many years living here at the lake with his beloved grandmother, Fran. She and Tony had a very special connection and it is quite fitting that we all meet here to celebrate Tony at the place that always brought him the most joy. THIS was his happy place, simply living with Fran and Leo at the lake.

Written by Justin Messinger and Lora Malakoff