{"id":1173,"date":"2025-12-07T17:52:35","date_gmt":"2025-12-07T23:52:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/?p=1173"},"modified":"2025-12-07T18:04:06","modified_gmt":"2025-12-08T00:04:06","slug":"polk-county-mourns-gamer-josh-russ-miller","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/polk-county-mourns-gamer-josh-russ-miller\/","title":{"rendered":"Polk County Mourns Gamer Josh Russ Miller"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Crookston, MN\u00a0<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">(trfnews.i234.me)\u00a0<\/a>\u2013 Family and friends are remembering Josh Russ Miller as a kind son, loyal friend, and devoted Vikings fan.<br \/>\nJosh, 48, of Crookston, died Thursday, November 6, 2025.<br \/>\nHe passed away after a hemophilia medical emergency at Sanford Hospital in Fargo, with his mother at his side.<\/p>\n<h2>Early Life and School Years<\/h2>\n<p>Josh was born on August 21, 1977, in Ada, Minnesota.<br \/>\nHe was the son of Ross Miller and Laurel Ystenes.<\/p>\n<p>Josh attended several schools during his childhood.<br \/>\nHis education included Fertile-Beltrami, Washington Elementary in Crookston, and Luella Merrett in Fort Worth, Texas.<br \/>\nHe later studied at Ada-Borup West and Climax-Shelly.<br \/>\nFamily members say this mix of schools helped shape his wide view of the world.<\/p>\n<p><!-- Centered Photo in Middle of Story --><\/p>\n<div style=\"text-align: center; margin: 24px 0;\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 100%; height: auto;\" src=\"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Joshua-Miller.jpg\" alt=\"Photo of Josh Russ Miller of Crookston, Minnesota\" \/><em>Josh Russ Miller, 48, of Crookston.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2>Health Challenges and Quiet Strength<\/h2>\n<p>Josh lived with serious health issues related to hemophilia.<br \/>\nMore information about that condition is available from the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.hemophilia.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">National Hemophilia Foundation<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Despite many medical struggles, he rarely complained.<br \/>\nFamily says he met each day with strength and calm.<br \/>\nJosh was known for a gentle, unhurried spirit.<br \/>\nHe made people feel seen and heard.<br \/>\nHe listened closely and treated every person as important.<\/p>\n<h2>Travel, Gaming, and Favorite Teams<\/h2>\n<p>Josh loved spending time with family and friends.<br \/>\nHe enjoyed laughter, shared meals, and simple talks.<br \/>\nHe was also an avid gamer and loved online play.<\/p>\n<p>Josh was a devoted Minnesota Vikings fan.<br \/>\nHe followed games on television and in person.<br \/>\nA special highlight was seeing the team at <strong>U.S. Bank Stadium<\/strong> in Minneapolis.<br \/>\nDetails on the stadium can be found on the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.usbankstadium.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">U.S. Bank Stadium website<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>He also enjoyed traveling and new places.<br \/>\nMemorable trips included New York City for the Macy\u2019s Thanksgiving Parade and the Rockettes.<br \/>\nHe took a helicopter ride above the city skyline.<br \/>\nOther favorites were visits to Disneyland, Six Flags in Arlington, and road trips to Colorado, Yellowstone, and Glacier National Parks.<br \/>\nInformation on those parks is available from the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nps.gov\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">National Park Service<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>Family, Cousins, and Beloved Pets<\/h2>\n<p>Josh is survived by his mother, <strong>Laurel Ystenes<\/strong>.<br \/>\nFriends say he was a wonderful son and a daily helper.<br \/>\nHe shared his home with his much-loved cat, Princess Josie.<br \/>\nShe was, by all accounts, very spoiled.<\/p>\n<p>He is also survived by many aunts and uncles: Bob Miller, Susen Miller, Diann Prussia, Sharyn Gregor, Elaine Bitker, Karen Ingebretson, Pam Brownmiller, Jan Harpenau, Myrna Cigelske, Dee Larson, Arla Jensrud, Norma Johnson, Eileen Basile, and JoAnn Smith.<br \/>\nJosh also leaves many cousins, other relatives, and friends.<\/p>\n<p>In recent years, he spent many happy hours gaming with his young second cousin, Kane.<br \/>\nThose sessions created special memories for both of them.<\/p>\n<p>Josh was preceded in death by his father, <strong>Ross Miller<\/strong>.<br \/>\nHe was also preceded by paternal grandparents Russ and Janice Miller, maternal grandparents William and Augusta Ystenes, uncles Willard Ystenes, Gordon Cigelske, Tim Brownmiller, Rick Harpenau, and Willard Johnson, aunt Avis Ystenes, cousins Shannon Larson and Corey Bitker, and pets Pookie, Spaz, Sabbath, and Lucky.<\/p>\n<h2>Celebration of Life and Online Guestbook<\/h2>\n<p>Josh\u2019s family will hold a private Celebration of Life at a later date.<br \/>\nThey invite friends to remember him through stories, games, and time with loved ones.<\/p>\n<p>An online guestbook and obituary page are hosted by Stenshoel-Houske Funeral Home.<br \/>\nMessages of condolence may be shared at\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.stenshoelhouske.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">stenshoelhouske.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Grief support resources are available through programs such as\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.griefshare.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">GriefShare\u00a0<\/a>and other local counseling services.<br \/>\nFamily and friends say Josh will be remembered for his kindness, humor, and brave spirit.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m Chris Harper reporting for\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">TRF News<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Crookston, MN\u00a0(trfnews.i234.me)\u00a0\u2013 Family and friends are remembering Josh Russ Miller as a kind son, loyal friend, and devoted Vikings fan. Josh, 48, of Crookston, died Thursday, November 6, 2025. He passed away after a hemophilia medical emergency at Sanford Hospital in Fargo, with his mother at his side. Early Life and School Years Josh was&hellip; <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/polk-county-mourns-gamer-josh-russ-miller\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Polk County Mourns Gamer Josh Russ Miller<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1174,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_wpscp_schedule_draft_date":"","_wpscp_schedule_republish_date":"","_wpscppro_advance_schedule":false,"_wpscppro_advance_schedule_date":"","_wpscppro_dont_share_socialmedia":null,"_wpscppro_custom_social_share_image":0,"_facebook_share_type":"default","_twitter_share_type":"default","_linkedin_share_type":"default","_pinterest_share_type":"default","_linkedin_share_type_page":"","_instagram_share_type":"default","_medium_share_type":"default","_threads_share_type":"default","_google_business_share_type":"default","_selected_social_profile":[],"_wpsp_enable_custom_social_template":false,"_wpsp_social_scheduling":{"enabled":false,"datetime":null,"platforms":[],"status":"template_only","dateOption":"today","timeOption":"now","customDays":"","customHours":"","customDate":"","customTime":"","schedulingType":"absolute"},"_wpsp_active_default_template":true},"categories":[15],"tags":[1752,768,772,1748,1758,1749,1756,1747,1754,1755,1674,1677,749,895,1690,1757,1750,1753,1751],"class_list":["post-1173","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-obits","tag-avid-gamer","tag-county","tag-crime","tag-crookston-minnesota","tag-gamer","tag-hemophilia-emergency","tag-josh","tag-josh-russ-miller","tag-macys-thanksgiving-parade-trip","tag-miller","tag-minnesota-obituaries","tag-mourns","tag-obits","tag-polk","tag-polk-county-obituary","tag-russ","tag-sanford-hospital-fargo","tag-stenshoel-houske-funeral-home","tag-vikings-fan","entry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1173","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1173"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1173\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1229,"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1173\/revisions\/1229"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1174"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1173"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1173"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1173"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}