Richard W. Miller, 87, of Wiscasset, died peacefully on July 4, 2023, in Damariscotta. Despite living a long and mostly healthy life, Richard fought courageously against several significant health challenges that plagued him in his final years.
Born in Easton, Penn., to Katherine and Samuel Miller on Jan. 16, 1936, Richard spent much of his youth in Southampton, Long Island, N.Y., where his father owned an exclusive retail store, “Shep Miller.” Richard went on to attend Brown University, where he was a member of Psi Upsilon fraternity and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in English literature. Following college, Richard moved to New York City, where he had a long and successful career working as an executive in sales at The New Yorker magazine. He then ran his own successful computer graphics fashion design business from offices in the Empire State Building for several years. While remaining a proud New Yorker his entire life, where he had a large circle of friends, Richard retired to coastal Maine in the late 1990s, a place he loved dearly.
“An independent man died on Independence Day,” said Hays Rockwell, the retired Episcopal Bishop of Missouri, a Brown classmate of Richard’s. “For 70 years, he was a dear friend to my wife and me, thanks be to God.”
Richard was a sophisticated and educated individual. Throughout his life, he was a student of the world. He traveled to many countries and embraced the diversity of people and cultures he encountered. In his later years he studied Spanish and spent time in Colombia and Mexico. A terrific athlete, Richard ran numerous New York City and Boston marathons. After his running days were over, he became a dedicated and diligent swimmer and yoga practitioner.
Richard was an avid reader and connoisseur of classical music and opera. He had a deep love of literature and the arts. Upon moving to Wiscasset, he became an artist himself, and was an oil painter of vivid, abstract canvases. His work is collected privately through his network of friends and family.
He was a deeply spiritual and disciplined person throughout his life. He enjoyed practicing meditation and journaling daily. Richard’s diverse interests, his humor, compassion, charm, and style endeared him to many.
Richard was a parishioner at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Newcastle, and supported several local organizations.
He is survived by his sister, Sally Miller Miller, of Weston, Mass.; his three nieces, Katherine Miller Twarog, Alix Miller Keating, Elizabeth Miller O’Connell; their spouses; and five grandnieces and grandnephews, all who adored him. He was very fond of his brother-in-law, John Andrew Miller Jr., who predeceased him by just over a year.
Memorial donations may be made to the Maine Art Gallery, 15 Warren St., Wiscasset, ME 04578 or to the Wiscasset Public Library, 21 High St., Wiscasset, ME 04578.
There will be a graveside service on Aug. 23 at 11:30 a.m. at Linwood Cemetery in Weston, Mass. A reception and luncheon will follow with opportunities for remembrances. In the fall, memorial services are planned at St. Andrew’s Church in Newcastle. In addition, celebrations of his life are being planned for the fall in Wiscasset, and in East Hampton, N.Y.
