Alfred “Rick” Miller

Alfred Donald “Rick” Miller passed away on Sunday, August 24, 2025. Born April 15, 1951, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Rick had a passion for mechanics and engineering from a very young age. When he was just a toddler, he used a toy screwdriver from his toolbox to dismantle his own highchair. When his mother told him to put it back together, he reassembled it properly without any assistance -a true handyman from the very start.

He moved to Florida as a school-aged boy and graduated from Cocoa High School in 1969 and then graduated from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach as a certified airframe and powerplant technician. This is where he met the love of his life, Debbie Henry, and they were married on July 8, 1972.

Rick and Debbie moved to Vero Beach, Florida, where they both worked at Piper Aircraft for many years, with Rick eventually becoming a supervisor for electrical avionics. Rick also enjoyed working for Sikorsky Aircraft until his official retirement in 2017. While his career kept him busy, Rick never met a hobby or project he was unwilling to tackle. He had a love for scuba diving and deep-sea fishing, boating, mountain biking, woodworking, restoring classic automobiles, and so much more.

After the arrival of their children, Matt and Michelle, Rick was often known best as “Coach Miller” throughout his years of serving as a coach and umpire for their baseball and softball teams.  He and Debbie enjoyed traveling and sharing family vacations to the Grand Canyon, Niagara Falls, Charleston, Chicago, New England, Pittsburgh, and the Florida Keys. He developed an interest in hunting and enjoyed sharing his remote “ranch” property in Chipley, FL, with friends and family.

Rick never met a stranger and was never at rest, constantly giving of his time, energy, and love to anyone he could. When Rick and Debbie’s family grew with the addition of Matt’s wife Stacey and their daughters Macey and Mackenzie, he gained his favorite title as “Pap-Pap.”  He continued to bask in that role after Michelle married her husband Bill and they welcomed their daughters, Madelyn, Lillian, and Evelyn.  Rick left everlasting reminders throughout their homes as he could often be found remodeling, repairing, and reconstructing anything he felt could be improved upon.

Nothing brought more joy to Rick in recent years than “becoming a kid again” when playing with his granddaughters. He never missed an opportunity to support their gymnastics performances, be the loudest cheerleader at their soccer matches, and congratulate them for their academic achievements. The girls will treasure memories of Macey always leaving him with “Lassie kisses”, his standard send off from the drive to school of “See ya later alligator” to Mackenzie, him hiding Maddie’s favorite stuffed animals, playing hide-and-seek with Lilly, and visiting McKee Jungle Garden with Evie.

Rick was predeceased by his parents, Alfred John Miller and Ethel Mae Ornato, sister Debbi Thornton, wife Debbie Henry Miller, and brother-in-law Jerry Sale. He is remembered as a loving and devoted father by his son Matthew Miller and daughter-in-law Stacey and his daughter Michelle Long and son-in-law Bill. He will be forever loved as the “Best Pap-Pap” by his granddaughters Macey and Mackenzie Miller and Madelyn, Lillian, and Evelyn Long. Rick is also survived by his sisters, Joyce Sale and Melissa Miller along with nephews Jason Davis and Josh Miller and their families. He also left an indelible mark on countless extended family members, friends, neighbors, and former co-workers who will no doubt miss his endless generosity and “larger than life” personality.

A joint celebration of life for both Rick and Debbie will be held on Saturday, September 27^th from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. at their family home, located at 1196 54^th Avenue in Vero Beach.  If you are looking for a way to honor them, please consider bringing a plant for a memorial garden (which Debbie would love) or donating to your local blood bank (but good luck keeping up with Rick’s total).

Arrangements are by Thomas S. Lowther Funeral Home & Crematory, Vero Beach.