Stephen Gary Miller

Stephen Gary Miller, 81, of Greensboro passed away Sunday January 23, 2022. He was born October 4, 1940 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Steve Miller’s father Joe used to say “You only live life once, if you live it well, once is enough”. Steve truly lived his life well. His life was filled with love, friendship, accomplishment, adventure, so many good meals, and endless amounts of smiles. He loved to laugh and make others laugh. He would not stop telling jokes until the “stiff one” in the room cracked a smile. Steve was a major Mel Brooks superfan. He traveled (went on lots of adventures) with his daughters, lots of mischievous adventures with his beloved friends, watched a lot of sports and traveled the world while he was in the military. He took pride in his business and being a good person. He was one of the most kind and genuine human beings to have ever walked this earth. Most of all, he loved his daughters, Shana and Natalie. He beamed with pride and love every time he spoke of them. He would have done anything in the world for them, and he did.

Huge Heart Dad:

His beautiful, huge heart, his selfless way, his humble, gentle nature, his dry humor and wit. Once you met him, you would surely fall in love with him. He would always tear up at a father’s day card, birthday card. He was always moved by the kindness and goodness in the world.

Dignified Dad:

 He was never late, his shirt was always tucked in and always kept his shoes polished. He has one of the greatest tie collections that you have ever seen. He could beat you at Jeopardy and could tell you any sport stat before Google could. He would always hold a door open for a lady, especially if they were pretty.

Well Loved Dad:

Steve raised two little girls on his own. He raised his daughters to be independent and to be anything that they wanted to be. Steve was always there to support and encourage them every step of the way. He loved beach music and shag dancing & tried to teach his daughters his dance contest winning moves by having them stand on his feet when they were little. Steve was a frequent customer of the girls' pretend beauty shops, allowing them to "do" his hair and put as many barrettes as they could find in his hair at once. His patience was extraordinary. He was always there for his daughters no matter the distance, miles or even the time of day. Steve was the greatest father any person could have ever asked for.

Cherished Friend:

Steve loved his friends as if they were his family. He always took the time to listen to a friend when they needed it. He would be sure to be there for them no matter what, just like he was always there for his daughters. He would have given any of them the shirt off his back if they needed it. He loved wine and maybe even more, the people in his wine group. These friendships enriched his life in countless ways. He loved all of his friends dearly, and was particularly grateful for the friends that became family- Jeff Oleynik, Joey Strasser and his wife Elizabeth-he was known as “Uncle Steve” to their three children Tyler, Maddie and Grant. He loved them as if they were his own grandchildren.

His Early Years:

He and his sister Constance grew up in Philadelphia and Virginia where they endured lots of cheek pinching from their huge number of aunts and uncles. He played the French horn and he and his sister even recorded a record. Steve received multiple college degrees- even receiving his masters from his most cherished school-University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. He played on the soccer team and even taught Economics to undergraduates during his time there. While he was a student, he was so excited from a huge Tarheel win that he tried to mail his pastrami sandwich to his father by dropping it in the campus mailbox. It never arrived. Steve was also a Captain in the Air Force and was recognized for bravery on multiple occasions. He was also very proud to be Jewish and got a tear in his eye at every High Holiday Service. (And he especially loved to break the fast).

Career:

 Steve inspired so many that they could be anything they wanted, if they work hard and lead a genuine life. “If you show up to work every day, do your best, be honest/decent and give it your all, others will notice and success will surely follow.” “It’s not the problem, but how you handle it.” He was well respected in his industry. Steve’s customers truly loved him and he truly loved them. He knew everything about who they were as people and all about each of their families. He always made sure to hand deliver the “good cookies” to them every year during the Holiday season, to show them that he cared. Those who knew him wondered if he should have been a weatherman as much as he loved to follow the weather. He very much loved to teach.

Other Things That Brought Him Joy

Food:

One of Steve’s other greatest loves in life was to have a good meal with those he loved. He taught his daughters to have the same good taste as he. They would have told you their favorite foods as children were Prime Rib and Chocolate Mousse. This was his doing. He could tell you every single barbecue joint in the state of North Carolina and every single place to get a good hot dog in the entire Southeast region. He loved lox and bagels, pretzels, crumb cake and cured meats. He hated anything green. His mother would hide vegetables in mashed potatoes to get him to eat his vegetables. It was a while before Steve learned that mashed potatoes were not green.

Sports:

Steve loved sports. College basketball and baseball were his favorites, but he could talk about any of them. He preferred to listen to games on the radio or with the tv volume off in silence. Especially if he didn’t like the announcer. Steve couldn’t watch an entire game sitting down. He loved going to baseball games and could tell you about the hot dogs at every stadium in the country. He visited nearly all of them on road trips with his dear friends. He could tell you what game was on when each of his daughters were born- and what the score was. He was able to see his all time favorite baseball team play and win the World Series at the beach with his good friends on a fishing trip last October. Steve’s favorite time of year was March and his blood truly flowed Tarheel blue. There will never be another man like him. His heart was as big as the universe. And he will live on in ours forever and always.

In your honor- we all sing...

Here comes Carolina-lina.
Here comes Carolina-lina.
We hail from NCU.
We've got the spirit in it.
We've got the team to win it.
We wear the colors white and blue,
So it's fight, fight, fight for Carolina
As Davey did in days of old
As we gather round the Well
Cheer that Tar Heel team like hell
For the glory of NCU.
I'm a Tar Heel born.
I'm a Tar Heel bred.
And when I die I'll be a Tar Heel dead.
So it's rah rah Carolina-lina.
Rah rah Carolina-lina.

The family will have a private Celebration of Life service. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the American Cancer Society.

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