Triston William Miller, 37, left the world at his home in Billings, Mont., on Oct. 7, 2025.
Triston was born in Spokane, Wash., on April 9, 1988, to Brett Miller and Natalie Wilson Colliver (Miller). Triston spent time between Spokane and Billings in his early years and eventually settled in Montana with his father and bonus mother, Brandi St. George-Miller.
Triston loved to draw, write and play video games. He taught himself to play guitar and enjoyed playing music throughout his life. He would listen to Metallica and Pantera, then switch it up with some Warren Zevon or Merle Haggard. He enjoyed overthe- top ‘90s action movies from a young age, especially if they featured Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Steven Seagal, Jackie Chan or the great Chuck Norris.
These action movies helped fuel a desire for military service. From a young age, Triston spoke of being a soldier. He was focused on serving his country, and he deeply believed that military service would honor his Assiniboine heritage. He wanted to serve so badly that he asked Brett to sign off for early enlistment to the Army at age 17. Instead of signing, Brett encouraged Triston to graduate from high school first, which he did.
Triston graduated from Billings Senior High in 2006 and signed up for the Army that year. He was stationed at Fort Hood, Texas, before deploying to Baqubah, Iraq, in 2007. As an Army Cavalry Scout, he served his country with dignity and honor. He was involved in multiple combat missions and received commendation.
Triston came home from Iraq in 2009 with substantial injuries. After recovering in Montana for a short time, he decided to move back to Spokane to get closer to his Washington family and attend Gonzaga University, where he majored in journalism. He joined the college newspaper and developed a love of reading and writing while covering current events, including political turmoil in Ireland.
In his free time, he would visit his younger sisters, mom, and stepdad, often showing up right before dinner and always for Friday Night Movie night, a weekly event they had enjoyed when he was a boy. He bought a puppy he named Django. Triston swore he was a Rhodesian ridgeback, but all we saw was a big white dog that shed forever! Whatever his pedigree, Django was a loyal friend.
After graduating from Gonzaga in 2014, Triston worked part-time at The Spokesman Review and the Associated Press. He also pursued and was offered positions with the federal government. He wrote several short stories and submitted them for publication. He also started a book based on his service.
