WORTHINGTON — Go ahead and say Bob Miller is “retired.”

Sure, he’s no longer working full-time shifts as a paramedic at Sanford Worthington Medical Center, and he long ago hung up his feed mill hat.

But whether it’s on one, two, three or four wheels, Bob is still making the rounds as one of the most active 66-year-olds you’ll ever see.

“Yes, he’s a real Energizer Bunny,” agreed Mary, his wife of 45 years. “But he’s also willing to do things when I want to do them; he accommodates me, and I tolerate him.”

The Millers grew up in Illinois and met while attending a Campus Crusade for Christ Bible study at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale.

Mary, who is retired from her career as a junior high and high school math teacher, earned a bachelor’s degree in math education. Bob holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in agriculture and mining.

“I had always wanted to work the deep coal mines in Illinois,” Bob said.

But a growing awareness of a high sulfur content in Illinois coal caused a major decline in the state’s coal industry during the late 1970s and Bob leaned instead on his ag credential.

A job opportunity in Worthington at Continental Grain came Bob’s way in 1978, leading the couple to southwest Minnesota. They’ve remained here ever since.

“We originally thought we’d end up closer to Illinois, but that never happened,” said Bob. “Worthington is home.”

Added Mary, “At one point I would have gladly gone back to Illinois,” she said. “I missed the trees and hills.

“But our kids (sons Zach, Matthew and Tim, all WHS graduates now living in the greater Twin Cities area) are true-born Minnesotans.

“The week we moved to Minnesota, I remember thinking the sky looked so big — you could see all the way from one horizon to another.”

Eventually, Bob’s worry that the feed mill might close, combined with his interest in medicine, prompted him to enroll in EMT training.

“I’d intended to go into nursing, but the program was mid-stream so I took an EMT class and loved it,” he said. “I wanted to do overseas medical missions work, so I earned a paramedic license and took a job at the hospital (about 20 years ago).”

Bob then worked two jobs for several years before taking a full-time position in 2014 at Sanford Worthington Medical Center; he retired two years ago.

While still employed, he fit in at least two mission trips to Peru, in a region very near the Amazon, and he has another in the works for next April.

“I love to travel, too, but I’m not a jungle person,” laughed Mary.

“Mary likes to cruise and so do I,” said Bob, listing past cruises the couple has taken through the Panama Canal, the Caribbean islands, Hawaii, Alaska (most recently in May 2022) and Antarctica (their last destination prior to the pandemic).

“When you’re on a cruise, you always know where you’ll sleep and eat, but you wake up and you’re in a new country — it’s great,” Bob shared.

When you hear that Bob Miller has a few things going on, believe him.

It’s a challenge to even type all of his hobbies and activities, which range from athletics to arts to multi-media.

“In the summer, I play tennis four to five days a week,” said Bob. “And usually once a week, in the afternoon or evening, I go (rock) climbing with a group of guys, or play badminton at the Center for Active Living.”

During the colder winter months, Bob switches up his physical pursuits a bit, opting for pickle ball several days a week and snow-shoeing on the grounds of the GreatLIFE Golf course. And, with Mary, he likes to bike. The pair often circle Lake Okabena on recumbent bicycles — that Bob made by cutting apart old 1970s racing bikes.

“They turn out beautiful and are so comfortable,” Bob added. “And I have a recumbent sport trike. In the last several years, I’ve worked to master riding a unicycle, too.

“I’ve fallen a lot — unicycle riding is the hardest thing I’ve learned to do — so I say I ride on one, two, three or four wheels.”

Chimed in Mary, “I stick to two or four wheels. And I do like the recumbent bike; I don’t think I could even ride a regular one anymore.”

Mary takes to the waters, usually three times a week, in aquanastics classes at the Worthington Area YMCA . She also spends time video editing, writing a travel blog and planning their next mutual cruise.

Biking and racquet sports are hardly the full extent of Bob’s interests, however.

“I’m an adrenaline junkie who likes rock climbing, scuba diving, mountain climbing, caving and cave diving,” said Bob, who was fortunate to survive a lightning strike that affected him and a close group of climbing friends during a 2010 expedition in the Grand Tetons.

That same adrenaline drive made Bob well-suited to his career in emergency medicine, he admits.

“Ambulance and ER work are so unpredictable, and I loved that,” he said. “I loved being instantly paged out for a crisis, and I loved being able to make a difference and save a life.

“It’s an incredible thing, and that’s what attracted me to the profession, and to mission work. Touching people’s lives in the Amazon or ER really fits my personality.”

After retiring in August 2020, Bob initially thought he might sleep in.

“Nope, I’m up at 6:15 a.m., ready to start the day,” he said. “I have things to do, and that’s what I love.

“I can only think of one day in the last two years when I felt bored. Otherwise, I’m busy — my days fill up, and mostly it feels like I don’t have enough hours in the day.”

Chainsaw carving, weight lifting, wood carving, wood working, reading, studying Native American culture, tie-dying, cooking Chinese cuisine (Mary says he makes a mean beef broccoli with oyster sauce, egg rolls, Kung Pao chicken and pad thai, among other tasty items), playing paintball and movie-watching all make Bob’s must-do list.

And in the winter months, Bob doesn’t hesitate to head to his basement, where his weights, woodworking tools and a pottery studio beckon.

Several years ago, Round Lake art teacher Spencer Howard introduced Bob to pottery.

“He had an art studio and I played in the clay for awhile,” said Bob. “I was no good at it at first, but it clicked with me so I built a potter’s wheel, bought a kiln and made my own tools; now I’m hooked on it, and I’ve gotten a lot better over the years.”

Recently, Bob has experimented with sculpting intriguing faces on mugs and vases, some of which he has sold — but most of which he gives away.

“The way I look at it is, God has given me the ability to do it so I usually just make it and give it away,” said Bob. “A lot of it goes out the door as birthday and Christmas gifts.”

Said Mary, “The family expects it and puts in orders.”

With five grandkids between the ages of five and 10, Grandma Mary’s chocolate chip cookies are always popular. And Grandpa Bob is also a fan.

“She makes the best chocolate chip cookies in the world,” Bob professed. “They’re excellent. You can’t eat just one — you can’t do it. And when they come out of the oven, they melt in your mouth and it smells so good in here.”

Mary often makes soups in the winter, while the couple’s lunch of choice is salad with plenty of veggies.

“And we do a lot of grilling in the summer,” Mary said. “I always look forward to Bob’s Chinese meals because then I don’t do anything.”

With Bob’s yin to Mary’s yang, this well-balanced duo whose relationship is grounded in faith (they attend Journey Ministries Coffeehouse Church) seems to have a winning and yet adaptable formula for retirement success.

“My plan for retirement was to travel,” said Mary. “We’d started doing that, but the pandemic put a clinker in some of the plans.”

She anticipates future trips to Norway, to view the coast and the fjords, possibly a sojourn to the South Pacific — and an African safari isn’t out of the question.

“I’ll go wherever the cruise lines go,” she said, “and we plan our trips so Bob can scuba dive and do other things he enjoys.”

For his part, Bob advises developing interests, trying new things and making a list “of all the things you dream about doing when you’re working,” as he puts it.

“And invest time in people, because it’s so important to have people and relationships in your life when you retire,” he suggested.

Above all, Bob said, “Stay active, stay connected and always look for open doors.”

And always say yes to an excellent chocolate chip cookie.