Jay C. Miller

MILLER, Jay C.
January 23, 1914 to May 24, 2005 Jay lived. That's perhaps as good a description as any for a remarkable life that began shortly after the birth of the 20th Century and didn't end until it had enjoyed the dawn of the 21st. During his more than nine decades of life, Jay did many things, all of them well: he was a soldier in war; a successful businessman and attorney; a leader in the Jewish and community life of Los Angeles; a beloved husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather and friend. In truth, Jay made it almost impossible to be a stranger around him. He embraced individuals with the same gusto that he embraced the world. Jay exuded a zest for life that all wish for but few achieve. His mind refused to be bored and his spirit refused to be discouraged. Born into a time when many homes still didn't have telephones, Jay enthusiastically dove into the Internet age. E-mails became a favorite way to communicate, with many of his missives containing at least one good joke. A sense of humor, perhaps the best rebuttal to the world's insanities, was as much a part of Jay as his smile. Hours before he died, he could still make family members chuckle, and cry, with a joke about a funeral. Jay hailed from Detroit, saw part of the world courtesy of the Navy, fell in love with a girl from Pittsburgh and settled with her on the shores of California---in the last three decades of his life, quite literally on those shores in the home that he and Freya built. He worked in a factory, ran a bar and built an extremely successful real estate business. In his 50s, he went to law school. Why? He wanted to study the law. He is survived by his wife, Freya, his three children, William, Suzanne and Michael, his grandchildren Janell, Alisa, Alexis, Stephen and Jacob and his great-granddaughter, Jordyn. All of us who knew and loved Jay grieve at his passing while we also celebrate having known him. As was his way, he was kind enough to leave a bit of himself with each of us.