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Obituary
Our beloved Philip Daniel Miller, 57, was taken too soon on January 23, 2025, just four months after he was diagnosed with stage 4 Esophageal cancer. He passed away at Garden City Hospital.
There aren't enough words to describe just what an amazing person Phil was. Everyone knew Phil to be a very warm and caring person with a great sense of humor and always eager to help. What everyone saw of Phil was not a façade; he was the same great guy behind closed doors as he was in public.
He was also extremely intelligent and had the ability to talk to people of all walks of life. You could throw any subject at him and he'd know enough to engage in a conversation about it and make you laugh along the way. He was naturally witty and loved to make people laugh, which is one of the reasons why people were drawn to him.
He was a huge animal lover and always lived with at least one dog throughout his entire life. He especially had a fondness for Great Danes. He lovingly raised two, Gracie and Harley, and they both lived to be around 11 years old. A special dog that was very near and dear to his heart was a pitbull-mix named Olive who helped him get through a very challenging time in his life. After her death last year, he adopted a bonded pair named Kharma and Lady, who both had been living in foster care for a very long time. He only had them for 5 months but in that short time he gave them the best life and loved those girls very much.
Phil had a passion for coding and was definitely one of the "OG" programmers. He taught himself C and C++ back at a time where there wasn't any Google, YouTube or ChatGTP. He proudly worked at Ford Motor Credit for 25 years as a Software Engineer and Architect. He absolutely loved his job, and his great accomplishment is that he was able to have this successful career without having a bachelor's degree. It is almost unheard of for a professional in this field to not have at least a BS in Computer Science. That's how brilliant and passionate he was. He was a wonderful mentor and inspired his partner Elisa to pursue the same career. She will be forever indebted to him for his patience and guidance as she struggled her way through college.
Phil was a true geek at heart. He was a lover of all things technology, electronics, and gaming. Board games, console games, PC games, handheld games, retro games, chess…. you name it, he most likely had it. He had an extensive library of board games that he mostly played on his own, but every once in a while he'd meet up with friends at a board game meetup. He also loved watching Sci-Fi and history documentaries, especially anything related to WWII and the Civil War.
Phil was a talented musician, his main instrument being the guitar. Phil was self-taught and he played the guitar beautifully. The style of guitar he mainly played was fingerpicking (where the melody is played with fingers rather than strumming chords with a pick). He also loved classical which he played on his nylon-stringed guitar. He even wrote a few of his own compositions. Phil also loved creating electronic music and had a little studio setup in his basement filled with keyboards, synths, sequencers, pedals and more. And of course, he owned several types of guitars -- acoustic, classical, a few Fenders and even a 12-string guitar.
Phil had many other hobbies as well: 3D printing, photography, birding, astronomy, Legos, trivia and even sewing! It's amazing how many hobbies he had, and he had the intelligence to absorb it all. He was just simply remarkable.
And of course, Phil would not have been able to do any of this without a giant mug of coffee in his hands. He loved a good Colombian roast coffee and occasionally an espresso.
There is just no other person like Phil. It is an honor and privilege to have had this beautiful man in our lives. He was a dear partner, brother, uncle, friend and colleague to many. He has left a huge hole in our hearts that will last forever. We love him so much. He was taken too soon.
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28
Preceded in death by his parents: Orla "John" and Phyllis Miller
Survived by his brother Stephen Miller, sister Joy (Michael) Chauncey and her children: Amber Paracka, Reneé Mendoza, Holly Gregory, and Brandon Chauncey
Phil is also survived by his loving partner Elisa Miller and her family: sisters Grace (Scott) Mullins and Irene (Franco) Canale. His nieces: Sarah Mullins, Nina Canale, Bella Canale, and Sofia Canale
In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to help care for his dogs Kharma and Lady.
