Joseph A. Miller Jr. (92), of Leesburg, Florida, died peacefully at his home on August 18, 2020.
Joe was born on July, 15, 1928, in Hartford, Connecticut to Agnes (Wells) and Joseph A. Miller, Sr. He was a proud Veteran of WWII and the Korean War, serving in the Army during the post WWII occupation of Japan and activated stateside with the Army Reserves during the Korean War. He began his own business, Miller Plumbing and Heating, in 1954 and ran it successfully until his son, Stephen, acquired the business upon his retirement in 1985. Joe was someone who truly lived life to its fullest. He pursued a long list of interests and hobbies throughout his life, starting with hunting, fishing and joke telling. He loved to make people laugh.
When he retired, he became a passionate sailor and navigated his 37-foot Tartan from Stonington, CT up and down the East Coast and through the Bahamas countless times. And he began to travel to Mexico, Central and South America, and Europe. Eventually, he traded in his sailboat for a series of RV’s, which he used to travel all over the United States and Canada and to summer in Vernon, CT.
During the winter months, he made Shaker style furniture in his garage wood shop. Throughout his life, he was an avid reader and a self-taught expert in US history, especially WWII. The only hobby he never mastered was learning to speak Spanish, which provided inspiration for many jokes at his own expense. His was a lifetime of adventure and learning for a man who willingly passed up his dream to attend college on the GI Bill after leaving the Army to instead help his father build a house, a replacement for the home they lost during the Great Depression.
Joe is predeceased by his parents, his son, Stephen P. Miller, his beloved partner of almost thirty years, Gail G. Wagner, and a long list of wonderful friends. He is survived by his daughters, Susan J. Miller and Nancy E. Miller, beloved extended family in Vernon, CT, friends and neighbors, and his dog, Lucy
A private memorial service will take place for family in CT at a later date.
