Dr. Jay Howard Miller Jr.

Jay Howard Miller, M.D. of Seaford, Delaware passed away peacefully at home on July 14, 2024.
Dr. Miller was born on April 7, 1935, in Takoma Park, Maryland, the son of the late Jay H. Miller, Sr. and Ruth Zollinger. Jay grew up in Silver Spring, Maryland and graduated from Montgomery Blair High School in 1953. He received his B.S. and M.D. degrees from George Washington University. In 1960 Jay married Valery Thornton, his medical school classmate. Following a medical/surgical internship and a psychiatric residency, Dr. Miller became Board Certified in Psychiatry and Neurology in 1970.
Dr. Miller served in the U.S. Navy for 8 years and was stationed at naval hospitals in Portsmouth, Virginia; Oakland, California; and Chelsea, Massachusetts. In 1967 he was appointed the Chief of Psychiatry at Chelsea Naval Hospital, serving the Boston Naval Shipyard and the New England region.
After leaving the Navy, Dr. Miller and his family moved to Montgomery County, Maryland where he was Chief Psychiatrist and Medical Director of mental health programs for adolescents and the severely mentally ill for over twenty years. He also provided psychiatric consultations to the Department of Social Services, Montgomery County Public Schools, and Juvenile Services. In 1994 the President of the American Psychiatric Association recognized Dr. Miller for receiving the Exemplary Psychiatrist Award of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill. In 1996 the Montgomery County Department of Social Services commended him for his long service on the Social Services Adult Guardianship Board.
Upon retirement, Dr. Miller and his wife, Valery, moved to Easton Maryland where they enjoyed boating, sailing, gardening, bridge, music and reading. Jay sang in the St. Mark's Methodist Church choir for five years. He also had a lifelong avocation as a classical organist and substituted at St. Mark's and a number of other churches on the Eastern Shore. Jay volunteered at Habitat for Humanity, Special Riders for children and adults with cognitive challenges as well as the Christ Church Food Bank. In 2014 Jay and Valery moved to Manor House in Seaford, Delaware.
Dr. Miller is survived by Valery, his beloved wife of 64 years; three children: Becky Miller, Todd Miller and his wife, Carol; and Clara Daining and her husband, Jim; six grandchildren: Sarah, Emily, Christopher, Jack, May, and Ella; two great grandchildren, Ellie, and Ollie.
The memorial service and burial will be private.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Hospice of Seaford, Delaware.
Please sign the virtual guestbook located on the tribute page.