- Date Of Birth: July 28, 1955
- Date Of Death: June 20, 2021
- State: Iowa
Michael Jay Miller died just before Father’s Day in June 2021, aged 65 years. He was a hobbyist, a lover of gadgets, and a man who knew what he wanted in life. Mike shared two daughters: Emily Smart and Kate Simone, with his former wife of 28 years, Karen Knutson. He was grandfather to Miles, Jackson, Jacklyn, Phoebe, Chloe, and Felix, brother to Craig, Susan, Steven, and Chad. He also leaves behind his beloved dog Chap, a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, and a very good boy.
Mike loved technology. Anything with all the bells and whistles was his constant desire. New tech, the best tech, he had to have it. Our family had a computer and were in chat rooms on the early internet long before most of our peers had even heard the tones of dial-up for the first time. He was into cars, motorcycles, gaming, and perpetually on the hunt for the best watch. He must have owned hundreds through the years. I wonder if he ever found it, perhaps he was still looking for perfection.
He loved to take his grandkids for easy rides around the neighborhood in his various vehicular fixations. It will surprise nobody to hear that his favorite way to vacation was to hop on his motorcycle and go. He liked his own company, spending time in quiet contemplation and recharging as he enjoyed the countryside.
A true introvert, he usually didn’t say much. You tended to listen when he did speak up if you have any sense at all. His intelligent humor was wry, quiet, and always there in the background. He learned not to take things too seriously throughout the course of his life. The application of perspective to any situation was one of his great strengths.
Mike is known to many as distinguished in his professional life. He loved working in controls and prided himself on advocating for and mentoring others in their career at Baker Group, where he worked for more than 30 years. He loved to help develop staff and set others off on a path to career success, having achieved it himself. Mike planned to finish out his career as a member of leadership and hoped to take up several new hobbies in retirement. He was in the middle of building a pedal assist bike that he couldn’t wait to try out. We’ll try it out for him.
