A Tribute to Mr. James D. Miller: Chesterton's First Donor
Mr. Miller made a short testimonial video about Chesterton Academy in December 2020. Click his image to watch!
By David Miller
On April 26th, our school community suffered the loss of James D. Miller, father of Chesterton Academy President and Co-Founder David Miller, as well as benefactor and supporter for our fledgling academy.
My father was a man who loved his family, his friends, and especially his Catholic faith. He taught me manhood and fatherhood not necessarily through his words, but by his everyday actions of helping others and his insistence on never being a burden to anyone else. These virtues of self-sacrifice and charity were always coupled with his humor and joy, but were not the only virtues that he showed me through his example. He could also be said to be a man of honesty, integrity, responsibility, patience, dependability, humility, selflessness, and the list could go on and on. Although he was a very humble man whom I never heard criticize or utter a curse word in my lifetime, he was very active and opinionated in the world of ideas. He was a lifetime learner who was constantly reading and taking Great Courses whenever he could, along with learning Spanish and Italian.
He was also a great lover of many sports, including basketball, baseball, and football. As father to 5 children, some of my fondest memories are of him teaching me (I should say “us”) to throw and catch baseballs and footballs as well as how to swing a bat and hit a ball. When Chesterton’s Saints basketball team started up this winter, he was overjoyed to help out with the scoreboard and clock as well as attend our tournament in Chicago. As a fixture at so many of our events, he touched the hearts of and made instant friends with all that he met.
My father's support from the very beginning has been the bedrock that has allowed us to advance our mission - we couldn’t have opened our doors last September without him! His love for our school and his humble nature show in his 2020 testimonial video about Chesterton Academy. The Chesterton community mourns the loss of this great man, this faithful follower of Christ, this big believer in our school’s movement to raise up more saints who will be equipped to serve the Church and society.
As church bells start to ring for him and Masses are said all over the world in true testimony to the hearts he has touched along the way in his amazing life, we pray for my father Jim Miller’s soul and for all of his family and friends during this bittersweet time of sorrow at our great loss and celebration of the life of a great Catholic American hero.
Eternal rest, grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May he rest in peace. Amen.
Obituary from AH Peters Funeral Home:
James Miller (December 9, 1932 – April 26, 2021), 88 years old, of Warren, MI, passed away on April 26, 2021, after a brief illness.
Jim was an amazing father, grandfather, and husband who was always there for his family and friends. He was humble, kind, smart, and faith-filled, and he made fast friends with everyone he met. Touching so many hearts, he was an inspiration to us all.
Born in Detroit, he graduated from Assumption Grotto Grade School and St Joseph Catholic High School in Detroit before joining the United States Air Force. While in the service he earned four medals: Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Korean Service Medal, and UN Service Medal as part of the 1st Radio Squadron Mobile division stationed in Japan. In recent years he had been attending their conferences in Texas, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, and Maryland.
After leaving the service Jim joined the General Motors Design team as a designer engineer in both the Chevy 3 and Buick studios, which was a great honor to him. After he retired he mentored many new designers who began their careers with GM.
Through the years Jim enjoyed playing softball and was coach and pitcher for the Chevy Blues. Following in his father's footsteps, he was also an avid bowler. He loved following many of the local sports teams and enjoyed playing cards. He loved travelling, especially his visits to Japan and Italy. He also became a member of the National Cryptographic Society. You could find him staying active walking around his neighborhood enjoying the outdoors.
Jim was deeply rooted in his Catholic faith and was a member of St Faustina's Catholic Church and the Knights of Columbus. Most recently he became involved in the founding and support of the Chesterton Academy classical high school as well as support of Men of the Sacred Hearts.
Jim was preceded in death by his wife Rosalie Miller, parents Claude S Miller and Lillian MacInnis, brothers Steven and Charles Miller, granddaughter Rebecca Miller and many other family members. He is survived by his children Pattie Miller, Ron (Mie) Miller, Tim Miller, David (Alejandra) Miller, and James (Andrea) Miller. He's also survived by his grandchildren Janee Shaffer, Erin Shaffer, Tyler Miller, Kyra Miller, Jeff Miller, Maximiliano Miller, Nathan Miller, Nicolás Miller, Jacinta Miller, and Charlie Miller. He is also survived by his friend Camille Deemer.