Miller, William John Jr., P.E.

Mr. William J. Miller, of Indian Lake, NY and Norwalk, CT, passed away on December 27^th, 2005 at the Meadow Ridge Nursing Home in Redding, CT.  He was 81 at the time of his death, and a retiree from IBM.

Bill was born in East Herkimer, NY on July 4^th, 1924, the third son of the late William J. Miller Sr. and Hannah Bleaking Miller.   His family moved from Herkimer to Binghamton, NY in 1933, where he attended St. Patrick’s Academy.  Upon graduation (where he was valedictorian), Bill became an Apprentice Toolmaker with an up-and-coming local firm, IBM.

After being drafted into the Army in early 1943, Bill joined the Corp of Engineers, and by his wits he earned entry into to the Army Special Training Program (ASTP), where he spent three terms in college instead of fighting at the front.  The ASTP program was cancelled by General Eisenhower to facilitate the “final push” on the Western Front, and Bill served with the 1253^rd Engineer Combat Battalion during the “Crossing of the Rhine” at Wesel in March 1945, and further in the Rhineland and Central Europe campaigns.

Following his Honorable Discharge, Bill attended Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in Troy, NY, where he received his Bachelors of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1952.  While at RPI, he was a brother of the Rensselaer Society of Engineers fraternity (RSE), and was a member of the Debate Society, the Newman Club, and even the football team.  While at RPI he met Joan Elizabeth Farrell, a College of St. Rose Nursing student, who would become the future Mrs. Miller soon after graduation. He received a Masters in Mechanical Engineering from Syracuse University, and began studying for his Professional Engineer license, which he received from New York State in 1961.

Bill was very proud of his four children, all born in Binghamton. Michael was the first, followed by Kevin, then Colleen and finally Brian. When IBM opened its new headquarters in Armonk, NY in 1964, Bill, Joan and the four kids were all transferred there.  He held a number of different positions, and much of his career was spent in the Corporate Litigations department, where he was involved with IBM’s defense to the infamous antitrust suit filed by the Federal Government in 1968.  He retired in 1987.

He is predeceased by his parents, William J. Miller Sr. and Hannah Bleaking Miller; also by his brother Robert I. Miller, his sister, Helen Miller, and his two Sisters-in-Law, Marie Miller and Helen M. Miller.

Survivors include his dear wife of 53 years, Joan E. Miller of Indian Lake, NY and Norwalk, CT, and his children and their spouses: Michael J. Miller of Indian Lake, NY; Kevin Miller Ph.D. and Dr. Alice Penrose of Ann Arbor, MI; Colleen M. Rumsey and Stuart Rumsey of Westport, CT, and Brian J. Miller and Alexa M. Schumann, Esq. of Albany and Saratoga Springs, NY.  His three beloved grandchildren, Ruth Miller, Erin Rumsey and Sean Rumsey will also lovingly remember him.  Bill’s older brother, Donald P. Miller of Johnson City, NY, also survives him, as do several generations of nieces and nephews on both the Miller and Farrell sides of the family.

Relatives and friends are invited to call from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. and 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. on Friday, December 30^th 2005 at the Miller Funeral Home, 35 West Main Street, Indian Lake, NY.  The funeral service will be held at NY at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, December 31^st 2005 at St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church, Main Street, Indian Lake, NY.  Burial will take place later in 2006 at a cemetery to be determined.

            Contributions in memory of Bill may be made to the Indian Lake Ambulance Corps or to St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church (both on Main Street, Indian Lake, NY 12842).