Warsaw’s Rich Miotto retired in April 2017 from his job as Milford’s town marshal. Miotto died Tuedsday, Nov. 3. InkFreeNews file photo by Keith Knepp.

By Keith Knepp
InkFreeNews

WARSAW — The Milford community lost a great friend and servant Tuesday following the death of former Town Marshal Rich Miotto.

Miotto served as the town’s police chief from 2008 until his retirement in April 2017. Prior to serving in Milford, Miotto was a part-time deputy marshal with the North Webster Police Department. In total, he served more than 25 years as a law enforcement officer. He also served civil process for the Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Office for several years. In Aug. 2019, he returned to the police department to serve as a part-time investigator under current Town Marshal Derek Kreider.

Rich Miotto, left, is pictured with Milford Elementary student AJ Ensz prior to a field trip to the Shriners’ Circus in Fort Wayne.  Photo provided.

A Chicago native and a mechanic by trade, Miotto made a mid-life career change and entered law enforcement as an officer with the Milford Police Department in the early 1990s. Following his retirement, he retreated to his home on the north side of Warsaw to spend time with his wife, Debbie, and devote more time to his hobby of restoring classic automobiles. He could often be seen in town at Main Street Bar and Grill, which is owned by his son Rich Jr. and daughter-in-law, Tracy.

A member of the Kosciusko County Shrine Club, Miotto spent many miles on the road in his retirement, making numerous trips to the Shriners Hospital for Children in Chicago, usually transporting young people for appointments. In an April 2018 interview, Miotto noted that giving his time to make the trips was “just another way to give back to others.”

“Rich Miotto loves his traditional family, and he loved his law enforcement family,” said Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Deputy Travis Marsh, who replaced Miotto as Milford Town Marshal in 2017. “Rich was great to work with and there are some many great memories. Rich will be missed, I find resolve in the belief that Rich was issued a gold halo and a gold badge by St. Peter today. Rest easy Rich!”

In the last few years, he and Debbie aimed to put checkmarks next to some of their bucket list travel destinations, including famous and iconic American landmarks like Mount Rushmore and the Alamo. One of their favorite vacation spots was the Great Smoky Mountains and they reveled in telling the story about a quick and impromptu trip they took to Las Vegas.

“I’ve had a good life and I’ve always believed in giving back,” he said in 2018.”I’m a people person. That’s one of the things I miss most about being a police officer. I miss the interaction with the good people, and even some of the bad ones. I’ve had a few people who I arrested who have contacted me and thanked me for helping them get back on course.”