David Randall Miles

David Randall Miles was born July 29, 1951, in Port Arthur, TX and passed away on Friday, April 5, 2024 at the age of 72 in St. Amant surrounded by his family and their love. He is the son of Coy C.Miles, born in LaSalle Parish and Lou Dozier (a.k.a. Dauzat) Miles, born in Avoyelles Parish, both preceding him in death. He is survived by his wife, Carol Rahmel Miles, and siblings, Kenneth Miles and Nancy Miles Van Mourik and children Ryan Coy Miles and Christy Miles White. Grandchildren are Liam, Mollie and Owen Bennett and Dylenn, Brooklyn and Quinn Miles.

David & family moved to Gonzales, Ascension Parish, Louisiana, in 1967, where he graduated from East Ascension High (1969) and Louisiana State University (1973). While at LSU, he courted and married Carol Ann Rahmel from St. Amant, his wonderful and loving wife of 52 years and the mother of their 2 children, Ryan and Christy.

David was involved in music from a young age, including piano and other keyboards, school bands, church choirs, local "rock-and-roll" bands as well as solo performing. He played a number of instruments (although he said "...none of them very well..."), from piano to organ, baritone, French horn, tuba/sousaphone, vibraphone/xylophone, chimes, timpani, and wherever he was needed. His high school band director, Carl DeLeo, once called him "...something like a utility player".

He began life with vigor. Between the ages of about 11 to 21 years old, he had open heart surgery, learned to play the piano and many other instruments, performed music solo and in marching, concert and rock-&-roll bands, moved from Texas to Louisiana, graduated high school and college, got married, worked in construction cleanup, at a grocery store, four service stations, a piano and organ store, a savings and loan (S&L) association, and gained the beginning knowledge and education in a field he didn't know existed but would become his career, Real Estate Appraising.

Born with a heart defect, David was not eligible for military service, but served others in many ways. He was a member of the Gonzales Lions Club; on an advisory committee to the Ascension Parish Mental Health Clinic; was a Cooperative Office Education (COE) employer; was a Mission Pilot and Lieutenant in the Civil Air Patrol - LA Squadron, flying during hurricanes Katrina and Rita as well as search and rescue and other similar missions; choir musician and director and Catechism teacher at Holy Rosary and other Catholic Churches, and several other volunteer groups and organizations.

David was a hunter & fisherman and loved camping, sailing, scuba & snorkeling, skiing, flying, and all things adventurous. He held a coastal cruising certificate, a pilot’s license and scuba diving certification to name a few. He was a member of the Single Action Shooting Society and a fairly decent marksman overall. He and his grandson Liam maintained a very nice antique and military firearms collection.

His career began during and after college in the S&L/lending industry, but also included time at the Texaco Refinery (now Motiva) as an electrical/instrument tech, and a short stint in industrial sales. He settled into the real estate and appraisal business in 1980 and went on to also include homebuilding and subdivision development. He excelled in the real estate valuation field, earning numerous designations, certifications, and awards including the MAI and SRA designations from The Appraisal Institute. He taught courses and authored several professional articles over the years. His database of appraisal assignments includes more than 10,000 jobs over his nearly 50 year career.

David contracted Multiple Myeloma in 2013 and fought the good fight for as long as he could. He was known to say, "...with all the things wrong with me, it's amazing I'm still here."

Visitation will be held on Thursday, April 11, 2024 at Holy Rosary Catholic Church in St. Amant; beginning at 9:00am until time of Mass of Christian Burial at 11:00am. Burial will be in the church mausoleum. 

In lieu of flowers, donation should be made to Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Catholic Church, St. Amant, LA. Arrangements entrusted to Church Funeral Services, St. Amant 225-644-9683 www.churchfuneralservices.com