Michael was born on March 26, 1951, to Martha (Wilson) and Richard Miller in Mt. Vernon. After graduating from Mt. Vernon Township High School, he attended the University of Illinois, where he received a bachelor's in Music Education and a Master's in Electrical Engineering. He worked as a research engineer at Electronic Decisions Inc., and then later as a network administrator for the UI College of Veterinary Medicine until his retirement.

Michael was a talented musician and played in many bands throughout his life, including the Sting Rays, Cassidy, the Memphis Nighthawks, the Jack Webb Jazz Band, and the Traditional Jazz Orchestra. He mainly played tenor banjo and rhythm guitar but was capable with many instruments. In addition to his musical ability and traditional jazz knowledge, he was also known for his intelligence and wry sense of humor. His other interests included trains, baseball, tinkering with everything, cooking, and his grandchildren, whom he greatly loved.

Michael is preceded in death by his parents, and by his sister, Jean Anne Miller. He is survived by his brother, Gary Miller; his children, Scott Miller (Cassandra) and Helen Miller (Matt); and four grandchildren, Kathryn, Kieran, Jane, and Dorothy.

In accordance with family wishes, Michael has been cremated. Friends may greet the family from 5 to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, April 4, at Owens Funeral Home, 101 N. Elm St., Champaign. A brief service will follow at 7 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to WILL/Illinois Public Media at will.illinois.edu.

Condolences may be offered at www.owensfuneralhomes.com.

To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.

Published by The News-Gazette on Mar. 26, 2023.

Memories and Condolences
for Michael Miller

2 Entries

David Madden

April 5, 2023

I played with Mike in the New Orleans Jazz Machine. It was my first real experience playing traditional jazz. I am grateful for his advice and encouragement in helping me to play in the style. I am a drummer and Mike's sense of time was rock-solid, so my job was pretty easy - listen to the banjo. My condolences to his family.

Armand Leonetti

March 28, 2023

I met Mike (known as "Vermont" to those of us in the dormitory) when I arrived at the University of Illinois in 1972.
I was a nervous freshman but was warmly welcomed by a small group of students who had already been there at least a year: Rick, Mark, Ray, Jim, Vermont and others like Carlos, Pat, Dan, Bruce.
Vermont was the oldest member of that immediate group and seemed a little like the quiet but reluctant "non leader" leader.
He was a music major who played guitar and other instruments so we would often wind up in his room to hang out and listen.
We were entertained by his ability to play rock music but he was more interested in jazz now and it was his pleasure to turn us on to that.
Count Basie blasting down the hall on his roommate Rick's big speakers. Coltrane and Miles Davis for more cerebral hangs.
Many of us have him to thank for becoming lifelong jazz listeners. Eventually I would frequently enjoy checking out the great local jazz scene, which of course he was a big part of.

Vermont and I both wound up staying on and living in Champaign / Urbana until I moved away in 1988.
Early on, during that period, for a summer or so, I shared the Race and Washington Urbana apartment with just Vermont. Many of us were in and out of that apartment over the years. At some point Theresa lived there in an apartment upstairs.
But this summer I think it was mostly he and I. Of course we kept the place meticulously clean (right). Actually it was a" bit" messy until we would periodically perform what Vermont called the "grand mal cleanup", and then it was temporarily spotless!

Later when Vermont and Theresa were married, they welcomed me over frequently. To this day I really appreciate that. It felt like a family away from my Chicago home.
And it added stability for me as I grew up. Vermont would sometimes bring young Scott over to my place to play, and on the night Helen was born I played baby sitter to Scott at their house.

During those years he was my best friend and we spent many hours "goofing off" as he used to put it.
Listening to music - recorded and live, watching and even playing baseball with others, including some of the musician friends.
Softball games in Chief Shemauger Park , and actual hard ball games near Savoy (with John I think).
Who knew Scott Mordecai was such an excellent outfielder ?
Wasn't Ron worried about hurting his fingers feilding batted balls without a glove?

I grew up a Cubs fan but he "convinced" me to follow his favorite team the St Louis Cardinals. Later culminating in a World Series victory that we celebrated with unusual vigor along with our Cardinal fan friend Nick at my Urban trailer.
We enjoyed many hours of watching the game on tv and listening to it on the radio in one of his favorite hangouts - the garage.
In the garage he would share with me how to properly smoke a cigar, how to get the optimal high fidelity sound from a tiny radio positioned in just the right spot
in the corner, how to get the best air circulation and cooling from the fan etc. Many of you know what I mean.

In part from these experiences, I ultimately came to believe that enjoying simple things is what it is all about. Especially when shared with good company.

After I moved away, back to Chicago in 1988 to start my technical career and eventually a family, we consistently kept in touch .
I always looked forward to sharing big life change experiences like marriage , children, career moves . He and many others from this circle came and even performed at my wedding in 1995.
When I was becoming a parent, I remember Vermont saying something like "having a child teaches what it is to be human, and to have another child teaches you that all people are not alike".

In recent years, as I moved across the country and time zones to Colorado then/now California, we have always kept in touch with frequent text conversations more than phone calls. I think he likes texting because we could always pick up the conversation where we left off, and look back at previous comments - handy for us seniors!
Our last conversation was a couple of weeks ago. He was urging me to check out one of his favorite movies that was coming up on TCM - "You Can't Take It With You". I'm looking forward to it.
Yep, I do miss him.

Warmest to all his family and friends,
Armand