Richard A. Miller

Richard Miller, of Highland, NY, formerly of Springfield, IL, passed away on Sunday, April 6, 2025 at the home of his daughter and her family.

Richard finished high school to join his father’s plumbing business when he was a young man. He became a journeyman in the Plumber and Steamfitter’s Union, in which he spent the next 37 years toiling and learning his craft of construction. In 1967, he married Freda Herman and started a family, having a daughter, Christine, and son, James. After his children were raised, he always referred to the times when they were little as the best of his life. When asked what came first, he would always say “family.”

When Richard turned 55, he happily retired from his union job so he could focus on his own creative ideas. With his wife they bought and remodeled homes that they lived in and then rented out. Richard believed that buying the worst house in the neighborhood was a sure bet because that “dog” of a house had nowhere to go but up. But it was more than that. He raised the value of the property and quality of life of everyone else in the neighborhood. And he was nothing if not a good neighbor, always lending a hand, always doing good deeds.

Richard had no formal charities in which he was involved. His charity was spur of the moment and borne of compassion. When his children were very little, he was known to occasionally bring a homeless person home for a meal. His wife gently explained that while she knew his heart was in the right place, that bringing a meal to someone was safer for the family. He readily agreed and he took to finding different ways to feed a hungry person down on their luck.

It would be a stretch to say he had a good work ethic. His idea of work was more of an obsession, to work at something every day of his life, to stay after it until he was satisfied. He spread his talents to friends, family and neighbors, fixing any single thing you could imagine. He was an absolute wealth of knowledge and skill. It would be remiss not to mention his love and compassion for dogs, something he taught to his children who have their own goofy dogs that were well-loved by him.

Richard is survived by his daughter, Christine (Peter) Markman; son, James (Becca) Miller; grandchildren, Emmanuel Markman, Andualem Markman, and Kelsey Brune; siblings, Ron Miller, and Randy Miller, and in-laws, Ruth Rzeppa, Dolores Francis, Don Brian, and Frank Herman; a multitude of nieces and nephews and their families, many extended family members, and friends too numerous to count.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Freda Herman, parents, Isabelle Springer and Charles Miller Sr., brothers, Charles, and David, sisters, Connie and Charlene.

A funeral mass and burial will take place in Olney, Illinois on Saturday, May 10th at 10:00 am at St. Joseph Church with a get together at the home of Andrew Herman immediately following burial.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Habitat for Humanity.