Bernie Eugene Miller

To view the Celebration of Life for Bernie, please click the link below.

Celebration of Life ~ Bernie Miller

It is with sadness we announce the demise of Bernie Eugene Miller on Monday, September 28th, 2025, (1940-07-01 to 2025-09-28) at the age of 85 years.

The scars in Heaven are only on the hands that hold your hands. 

Left behind to cherish precious memories are his wife - (Maureen Mawby); his first born son Jeffery (Lisa); and his 3 grandsons Aiden, Joshua, and Jaxson.

We love you dearly “Dad”.  We miss you deeply and are profoundly grateful for having had you in our lives.

What a party in heaven there will be when Bernie is united with his Mum – Ella (deceased 93), Dad – Walter (deceased 98), and only sibling Brother – Arnold (deceased 2012).  As well he will be greeted and together again with our second born son Gregrory (1984 – 2002).

“In the Arms of the Angels” on Rainbow Bridge are his beloved Pug Dog (KC) and his 3 cats (Tania 1st, 2nd, and 3rd) running over to greet him.

Bernie had a long career in the Police Force.  Over 40 years; “Fighting crime and saving lives”; “That’s the way the mop flops”, and “When you rock and roll you pay the toll”, as he jokingly would say many times.

His travels were as follows:

Training and Equitation (Rockcliffe Ontario) 6 months

1st Posting – Dauphin 61-62

2nd Posting – Thompson 62-65

3rd Posting – Altona 65-68

4th Posting – Thompson 68-70

5th Posting – The Pas 70-73

6th Posting – Crystal City 73-76

7th Posting – Treherne 76-86

During this time he rose in position from Recruit, Cadet, Constable, Corporal and Sergeant.

Once retired from the RCMP he rose even further.  On April of 1987 Bernie took on the position of Chief of Police for the Municipality of Winkler.

On July 1st 2000 – not only his 60th birthday; Bernie retired officially to an acreage south of Brandon.  His next rank he attained here in Brandon – Colonel! (Colonel Sanders chicken that is). 

We thought he had finally risen to his highest position. Bernie’s love of chicken was yet to bring him another higher position.  He won King! - “King of eating Chicken Wings” when he entered a contest in Brandon and won 1st place at the age of 68-69, announced in papers as such. Regardless of rank, in his heart he was always a Mountie.  Bernie indeed was a proud and devoted member of the RCMP.  Every year he would announce “January 3rd 1961 was the day I was accepted into the force.”  He never missed on January 3rd each year announcing this as well as his regimental number. #21683

In his childhood years, born and raised in Vernon BC; Bernie would speak about catalogues and rubber jar rings for hockey shin pads; a chair nailed to plywood would serve as a ski ride on a winter slope; and he spoke of the small replica of a canon he and Arnold made that would shoot tiny cannon balls.

Bernie worked hard on the family orchard and with those huge hands his Dad always said “Bernie was the best and fastest worker always as he picked 3 or more apples at a time.”

Bernie’s birth family owned only a motorcycle with a side car and no other transportation.  He and his brother squeezed into the sidecar for many years while his parents were on the bike.

Bernie enjoyed curling, golfing, fishing, and camping.  He hardly missed a wrestling match on TV.  He excelled in cards and played poker with buddies. (Rathwell, Ste Claude, Morden). Pictures of Galbraith Crescent are evidence of his gardening skills.  His carpentry skills resurfaced in 1982.

For the Winkler Flyers Junior hockey team, he volunteered tirelessly.  He was also a devoted fan of the Winkler Flyer Junior Hockey and in later years, Western Hockey League Brandon Wheat Kings.  Thus, we billeted and enjoyed our extended family with players of both these teams for many years.

Bernie had an infectious smile, a kind heart, strength and gentleness together, soft spoken and beautiful intense big brown eyes.  He was an incredible husband, the best of fathers, and wonderful family man.  His two sons were the loves of his life.  He was a wonderful father and considered the boys truly “gifts from God”.

He became a Leader of Cub Scouts, and a Sunday School Teacher at Morden United Church; where we were members.  He also coached softball.

He cherished the family gatherings held frequently with Maureen’s Family.  Every summer his own family (Wife and boys) returned to Bernie’s home to visit with family and friends in Vernon BC.

Some of the names Bernie was endowed with were “The Big Guy” and “The Claw”; as well as “Mr. Clean, Mr. Wonderful” and “Dad” which to this day he retains even still from his wife.  “The Gentle Giant” bestowed upon him from some of the Treherne RCMP members in 1986 again resurfaced in 2020 in Brandon Hospital from his nurses some 37 years later.  All were well deserving knowing Bernie.

Bernie loved his “tractors” in retirement.  Although retirement had a lot of hard times; Bernie accepted these diversities in his own quiet way.  It is indeed an honor to celebrate his life.   We are saddened we have lost him physically but much richer because he was in our lives.

A Graveside Service will be held at Woodlands Cemetery, Treherne, MB, on Monday, October 6, 2025 at 1:00 pm with Coral Jones officiating.  Following the interment, a Celebration of Life service & reception will take place in the Rathwell Memorial Hall. 
Everyone is welcome to attend.

In lieu of flowers, do a good deed for another, smile, and reflect of your own memories of Bernie.

“Death leaves a heartache no one can heal. 

Love leaves a memory no one can steal”.

                                                                                                                                             Irish proverb.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Bernie Eugene Miller, please visit our floral store.