Charles Bertram Miller

The Life of Charles Bertram “Bert” Miller (1910–1995)

Birth & Early Years (1910)

Charles Bertram Miller was born April 5, 1910, in Louisville, Kentucky, the youngest son of Claude H. Miller and Mattie Belle App.

His childhood home on Greenwood Avenue carried the bustle of a working-class family—his father an insurance solicitor, his mother managing a household touched by both Kentucky roots and German heritage.

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School Days (1920s)

By age nine, Bert lived with his parents and brothers Thurman and Louis on Fourth Street. He attended St. Xavier High School, appearing in the 1926 sophomore class photo—one of many eager young faces in Louisville preparing for adulthood.

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A Young Electrician (1930)

At twenty years old, Bert was already working as an electrician in a local shop. The 1930 census shows him still at home with his parents and brothers, their house on Lakeside Drive valued at $8,000—a sign of stability in a decade soon to be shaken by the Great Depression..

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Marriage & Family (1930s)

Bert married Mildred Cardwell, beginning a new chapter of responsibility and family. By 1940, the couple lived on Gardner Avenue in Louisville with their daughter, Norma, and his widowed mother, Mattie. Bert worked as an auto electrician, logging 50 weeks of labor and earning $1,560 that year.

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Draft Card & Bowling Scores (1940)

On October 16, 1940, Bert registered for the World War II draft. His card describes him at 5’5”, 125 pounds, with hazel eyes and brown hair.

That same year, his name appeared in The Courier-Journal—not in war news, but in bowling scores. A 592 series earned him notice in the Central League, proving he had as much skill on the lanes as in a repair garage.

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Instructor & Civil Service Career (1940s–1950s)

By 1949, directories listed Bert not as a mechanic but as an instructor.

The 1950 census places him at 1528 Southgate Avenue with Mildred, Norma, and his elderly mother.

He worked for the U.S. government, training others in the civil service industry, later serving as an instructor at the Armored School at Fort Knox.

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Community Life & Square Dancing (1950s–1970s)

Bert balanced work with fellowship. He became past president of the Kentuckiana Square Dance Association, suggesting that music, rhythm, and friendship were just as much a part of his life as engines and instruction manuals.

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Later Years & Move West (1980s–1990s)

Eventually, Bert and Mildred moved to Tucson, Arizona, to be closer to their daughter and grandchildren. There, under desert skies, he spent his later years surrounded by family and warm weather.

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Passing & Legacy (1995)

Charles Bertram “Bert” Miller passed away on February 23, 1995, in Tucson at age 84. He is buried with Mildred at Evergreen Memorial Park. His obituary remembered him as a devoted husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, government instructor, and community dancer—his legacy rooted in both hard work and joy.

✨ If you’d like to share your memories or stories about Charles Bertram “Bert” Miller, please visit his Intro Page and leave a comment there. Your reflections help keep his legacy alive for future generations.

Until next time,

~Kris

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Revisited by Bones 🕵️‍♂️💀

Bert Miller’s paper trail has a kind of quiet sturdiness to it—census forms, city directories, and even the occasional bowling score splashed across The Courier-Journal. Nothing scandalous, no whispered rumors of bootlegging or vanishing acts—just a steady man who turned wrenches, strung wires, and later taught others to do the same.

But oh, how the little details shine. A five-foot-five electrician with hazel eyes and a knack for rolling nearly 600 in league bowling—that’s not just a dry record, that’s a man who likely grinned when the pins crashed. By the 1950s, he’d swapped the repair shop for a classroom, training soldiers at Fort Knox, and spent his off hours calling square dances. Tell me that isn’t a marvelous image: the government instructor who could fix your ignition in the morning and swing your partner ‘round in the evening.

And in the end, Bert followed the sun—trading Kentucky’s humidity for Arizona’s desert warmth. His obituary leaves us with the essentials: husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather. Instructor. Dancer. A man who left no great scandal, but plenty of quiet rhythm.