Robert D. Miller

Robert Dodge Miller, beloved husband, father, grandfather, and lifelong servant of country and community, passed away peacefully at the age of 95 after a ten-year battle with lymphoma. Bob lived a life of care and stewardship. He always had a booming laugh and a question, and he never slowed down.

Bob was born in 1930 in St. Louis, Missouri. As a young man, he was a regular at his local radio store and used the equipment he built to host high school dances. His fascination for systems of complex parts followed him to Washington University, where he studied Engineering and was a member of the Engineer's Club.

As a Boy Scout, Bob earned his Eagle Award and visited Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico, the storied high-adventure base in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Now the first in three generations of Eagle Scouts (grandfather, son, grandson), Bob would go on to visit Philmont again as a Scoutmaster. When his son, Michael, aged out of the scouts, Bob continued to volunteer and serve as coordinator for volunteer maintenance at Camp Boy Haven.

In his early adulthood, Bob served as an officer in the US Navy in the Korean War, where he began his work on submarines. He attended the commissioning of the world's first nuclear powered submarine, the USS Nautilus, in 1954. After his honorable discharge, Bob would continue to work on instrumentation and control systems for the Navy's nuclear submarine program throughout his career at General Electric in Schenectady, New York. He always attended the commissioning and sea trials of the boats he worked on. Bob stayed in touch with his navy shipmates throughout his life.

Bob built a life and became a fixture in his community of Schenectady, New York. While his children were in high school, the family opened their home to the AFL program, where they hosted students from Finland, Colombia, and Costa Rica. The family kept a camp on Great Sacandaga Lake, where he kept both his sailboat and the entire property ship shape. Bob always had a project, whether it was the basement door succumbing to its damp surroundings or, later, a tree fort for the grandkids. He approached every project with his characteristic engineer's eye. "Those who fail to plan, plan to fail," he'd say.

Bob never stopped going. He loved the outdoors, cross-country skiing and bicycling into his nineties. With the Adirondack Mountain Club, adventure was never far from home. Bob always looked forward to reuniting with college friends for their sailing trips in Florida. He also meticulously maintained his home from his basement workshop. His hands were always busy taking down a tree or making a table for his grandson's model trains.

In his wife, Carol, Bob found a true companion who could match his boundless energy. Together, they built a life brimming with adventure, lifelong learning, travel, conversation, and friends. At their home, one is never far from a family heirloom, a well-made martini, or a great abundance of photographs from their travels together.

In his community of Altamont, Bob served on both the Finance Committee and the Building and Grounds Committee at Emmanuel-Friedens Church and Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady. He was also a beloved member of his neighborhood cocktail club, started in 2020 at the end of the driveway. At ninety-five, he finally allowed someone else to start plowing that driveway for him.

Bob is survived by his beloved wife, Carol Hamblin; his son Michael Miller and his wife Anne, of Charlestown, Massachusetts; his grandchildren Emmett and Ryan, of Boston; his son-in-law Paul Wayner and granddaughter Charlotte Wayner, of Fairfax, Virginia; his brother Roy Miller and his wife Lyle of Monson, Massachusetts, and nephews Scott, Russell, and Jonathan Miller and their partners. He was preceded in death by his daughter Suzanne Wayner and his first wife, Jeanne Miller. Bob will be dearly missed.

Calling hours will be held on Sunday April 12 from 2 to 4 p.m. in Fredendall Funeral Home at 199 Main Street in Altamont, New York. There will be a short prayer service at 4 p.m. In keeping with his wishes, a portion of Bob's cremains will be committed to the sea by the United States Navy. Later this summer, the family will hold a celebration of life, at which the remainder of his cremains will be laid to rest at a location to be announced.

In lieu of flowers, the family welcomes contributions to the Adirondack Mountain Club, Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady, or a Scouting organization of your choice.