It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Charles “Charlie” Roland Miller of New Holland, Monday, June 8, 2026 at Ephrata Manor in Lancaster County, PA. He had just celebrated his 89th birthday two days earlier.

Charlie was born on June 6, 1937 in New Holland, the son and only child of Viola Miller. He proudly served in the Korean War, and was an avid outdoorsman, enjoying hunting, fly fishing, and competition shotgun shooting throughout his life.

He was an excellent trapshooter, winning countless trapshooting events and awards throughout Pennsylvania, including the Open Class AA trophy at the 1986 Eastern Zone shoot in Elysburg.

Charlie was also a gifted live pigeon shooter, winning his first live bird competition at New Holland Rod & Gun in 1952, at the age of 15. He won the Fred Coleman Memorial Shoot in Hegins, PA in 1967, the Pennsylvania State Championship for Live Bird Shooting in 1968, 1979, and 1982, and repeated his win at Hegins in 1983. He also competed with great success at numerous pigeon shoots throughout the United States, including North Carolina, Kentucky, Florida, Texas, Nevada, and California, along with shoots in Mexico, the Dominican Republic, and Europe (Italy, Spain, and Portugal).

On June 6, 1976, while celebrating his 39th birthday, Charlie reached the pinnacle of the live bird shooting sport by winning the World Live Pigeon Championship at Club de Tiro Somontes in Madrid, Spain. At that event, he used a borrowed gun and beat out 718 of the world’s finest shotgun shooters to win the World Championship. On the same day, he also won the 1976 FITASC Pigeon Medal Championship. He was the first shooter to ever win both events on the same day. King Juan Carlos of Spain personally presented Charlie with the 4-foot-high silver World Championship trophy. Afterward, his accomplishments were the subject of an article featured in the American Shotgunner magazine, with a picture of Charlie in shooting form appearing on the cover. Another article appears in the June 2019 issue of Trap & Field. If you go to the Internet today, and look up “Pigeon Shooting” in Wikipedia, you will find Charlie’s name.

Charlie was honored in 2023 by being inducted into the United States Flyers Federation Hall of Fame for live pigeon shooting.

Charlie was also a lifetime member of the New Holland Rod & Gun Club in Lancaster County. He coached numerous trap and live bird shooters throughout his years, making life-long friends along the way.

Even more important to Charlie than his shooting accomplishments was his love for his hunting dogs. They were his constant companions, including many English Setters, that he caringly raised and trained. In his later years, he shared his heart and home with three faithful Boykin Spaniels.

Charlie will be deeply missed by his many competitors and friends. A Memorial Service is planned at the New Holland Rod & Gun Club, 824 Peters Road, New Holland, PA 17557 at 3pm on Saturday June 27, 2026.

Beck Funeral Home in New Holland is entrusted with the funeral arrangements.