Fredrick J. Miller, 82, a 50-year employee of the Palmer House, died Wednesday, Oct. 4, of heart failure in his home on Chicago’s Southwest Side. Born in Minneapolis, Mr. Miller was raised in Chicago. When he was 16, Mr. Miller became a bellman at the Palmer House. During World War II, Mr. Miller served in the Army, at one point on Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower’s bodyguard detail. After the war, Mr. Miller returned to his post at the Palmer House. Throughout his decades-long career there, he regaled his family with stories about working with founder Conrad Hilton, meeting Louie Armstrong and collecting autographs from movie stars like Ronald Reagan. It was a job he enjoyed, his son John F. recalled. “He was one of those people that just worked hard all the time,” his son said. Other survivors include his wife, Dolores, and several grandchildren. Mass will be said at 10 a.m. Saturday in St. Denis Catholic Church, 8301 S. St. Louis Ave., Chicago.
