Leroy Francis Miller, 97, was born in Altoona, Penn., Dec. 17, 1915, one of nine children of Alfred Miller and Florence Banks Miller.  

He died at his Clearlake, Calif., home on Dec. 20, 2012, of natural causes.

Leroy graduated from Altoon High School in 1934 and may have been the last survivor of his large class.  

He joined the Army in 1935 and served in Panama and Hawaii before returning to his hometown in 1938. He worked as a tire recapper and married Kathryn McGraw in 1941.

During World War II he served as a first lieutenant in the National Guard and operated his occupationally exempted tire business.  

He moved to California in 1949 and resided in Fremont where he worked as a printing pressman.  

Following their move to Clearlake in 1973, he and Kathryn managed several motels in the area. He lived independently following Kathryn's death in 1989.

Leroy was preceded in death by his granddaughter, Kristine Miller Barbarigos in November 2012.

He is survived by one sibling, Richard (Belle) Miller of Marysville, Wash.; sons, Norman (Earlene) Miller of Carson City, Nev., and Robert (Laura) Miller of Santa Rosa, Calif.; grandchildren, Suzanne Miller (Cantel) McCurdy of Las Vegas, Nev., and Matthew Miller of San Jose, Calif.; great-grandchildren, Brett, Ryan and Reed Barbarigos and Tyler and Alexandria McCurdy; and numerous nieces and nephews.

Cremation arrangements by Chapel of the Lakes Mortuary, Lakeport.