Stan Miles, family man, war ace

By Rebecca Jones, Special to the Rocky

Published July 14, 2008 at 9:05 p.m.

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Special to the Rocky

Stan Miles loved to fly, and did so whenever he could.

Like many of the men of his generation, Stan Miles didn't speak much about his exploits during World War II.

"He did many things that I never even knew about until I read about them much later," said Ione Miles, his wife of 62 years.

Among his wartime adventures: shooting down at least six enemy aircraft as a fighter pilot over the skies of Europe, surviving a midair collision, flying 184 missions with the 352nd Fighter Group of the Eighth Air Force and receiving the Distinguished Flying Cross with one Oak Leaf Cluster plus a bundle of other military decorations.

"He was very humble about it all," said his daughter, Cheryl Tresemer, of Centennial. "He enjoyed life, and he accomplished a lot."

Mr. Miles died June 23. He was 89.

Mr. Miles, who went on to serve his country for many years with the Colorado Air National Guard, also served his community in many civic capacities, including four years on the Englewood City Council.

He was born the youngest of three children on Nov. 20, 1919, in Fulton, S.D., and was raised on a farm.

"They considered themselves quite lucky because they had food to eat that they grew themselves during the Depression," said his son, Gary Miles, of Littleton.

Mr. Miles received a bachelor's degree in business from the University of Denver and later did graduate studies at Purdue University and Harvard Business School. He served in the Adjutant General's Office in Washington, D.C., before he joined the Army Air Corps in 1941.

After returning from the war, he was stationed for a time in Texas, "where he met what he thought was the hottest young woman in Texas, my mother," Gary Miles said. They eventually eloped.

"He had to get out of town because the law - that is, my mother's dad and brothers, who were the town's sheriff and deputies - were after him. They meant to do him some bodily harm."

The young couple settled in Englewood and began raising their family. Mr. Miles took a job with Blue Cross and Blue Shield, where he eventually retired as vice president. He also joined the Colorado Air National Guard, serving as squadron, group and wing commander and retiring as a lieutenant colonel and deputy chief of staff.

Mr. Miles also began a lifetime of volunteer work. In addition to serving on the Englewood City Council, he was on the Englewood Recreation Council for 13 years, was on the board of the American Red Cross for nine years and was a past county fund drive chairman and Arapahoe County Chapter chairman. He served as president of the Englewood Junior Chamber of Commerce, and was that group's Man of the Year.

He was chairman of the Englewood Citizen's Budget Committee, board member of the Denver Sales and Marketing Executives, a member of the Englewood Lions Club, the Englewood Board of Adjustment and Appeals, the Englewood Boosters Club and the Englewood Planning Commission.

"That's the way a lot of that generation was," his son said. "He worked his regular job, flew about three weekends a month at the Air National Guard base, and still had time for us and his volunteer work. He was a busy guy."

Mr. Miles loved to fly.

"That was his passion," his son said. "Other guys went fishing. He just went out and flew airplanes whenever he could."

For the past few years, Mr. Miles had struggled with Alzheimer's disease. But even in the depths of his illness, he never lost his sense of humor, his wife said. Sometimes he would purposely call her by the wrong name, just to tease her and poke fun at his own disease.

"He was angry about having Alzheimer's, but he never complained about it," Tresemer said.

"He never complained about anything," said Gary Miles. "Whatever he could do for other people, he would do. Even if it might mean putting his own future in jeopardy, he was very giving and loving."

In addition to his wife, who lives in Centennial, and son and daughter, Mr. Miles is survived by another son, Stan Miles, of Denver, five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

Memorial donations may be made to the Alzheimer's Association, 455 Sherman St., No. 500, Denver, CO 80203.

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