Floyd Eldon Miller, 70

Floyd Eldon Miller, 70, passed away Wednesday, July 16, 2008, at his home in Eureka, Calif.

A memorial service was held at Grandview Cemetery on July 30 in Bonners Ferry. Cremation followed.

Floyd was born on Oct. 24, 1937, as the eighth of 17 children born to Charles and Ruth Miller in the former mining town of North Star, Idaho. As a young boy, he moved with his family to the Bonners Ferry area and attended schools in Boundary County, graduating from Bonners Ferry High School in 1957.

Prior to his graduation, and before moving to Spokane, Wash., Floyd served with the Idaho National Guard.

After moving to Spokane, Floyd was employed at Coldwell Garland Florist. In 1962 and 1964, he was chosen as the guest designer at Mona State Fair Florist Conven-tion, and in 1965, Floyd won the FTD Designer of the Year award.

At the Spokane World's Fair, he owned and operated a shop 'Flowers Under Glass,' where he grew and arranged dried flowers under glass.

Floyd later moved to LaJolla, Calif., working for Flowers by Adelaide, where he decorated homes of movies stars and other prominent people.

After a few years, Floyd returned to Spokane and Coldwell Garland Florists as their design manager. He conducted adult flower arrangement classes for Spokane School District. For a short time, Floyd owned and operated a florist shop on Orcas Island, Wash., before moving to Eureka, where he spent his final years.

Floyd's love of floral design goes back to his boyhood days, when the family lived in St. Francis, Kansas, for a short time; he made and sold corsages. Floyd made quite a bit of money back then ' it seemed like the most money he had in his lifetime.

From April 1983 to June 1995, along with his partner Rei Maki, Floyd operated a licensed residential care home for the elderly in Eureka, In recent years his disability prevented him from working, but he still had a love for gardening and arranging flowers.

Floyd, is survived by his longtime partner and care giver, Rei Maki of Eureka; sisters Eileen Burly of Athol, Louise Mason of Fort Worth, Texas, Kate Roberts of Culdesac and Carole Wyatt of Porthill; brothers Charles of Otis Orchard, Wash., Bob of Noxon, Mont., Ken of Fort Worth, Joe of Sustraland, West Australia, Jerry of Seattle and Dan of Bonners Ferry; nieces Drexel Love and Julie Miller of Moyie Springs, and LaRae Rice and Paula Rice of Bonners Ferry; nephew Marty Wyatt of Bonners Ferry; and numerous nieces and nephews elsewhere.

Floyd is preceded in death by his parents; brothers Leonard, Paul, Clifford and John; and sisters LaVina Miller and Penny Robinson.