Dr. David Miller

1949 - 2019

Dr. David Miller, age 69, a beloved pediatric surgeon of the Orlando community, passed away suddenly of natural causes in Merritt Island, Florida on Sunday, March 10, 2019 after working all day on his cherished sailboat, Namaste.He was born on August 12, 1949 to Edgar and Mary Julia (Max) Miller in the beautiful mountains of Harlan, Kentucky. Later he moved to Versailles, Kentucky where he graduated from Woodford County High School. After receiving a BS degree from Asbury College, he earned his Medical degree from the University of Louisville School Of Medicine in Louisville, Kentucky. He finished his general surgery residency at the Medical College of Virginia in Richmond, which included a one-year exchange residency at Hope Hospital in Manchester, England. He then completed a two-year fellowship in Pediatric Surgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. A member of the American Pediatric Surgical Association, he authored articles which were published in the Journal of Pediatric Surgery. Dr. Miller joined the medical staff of Arnold Palmer Hospital in 1993. He faithfully served the children of Central Florida for the next 26 years, where he performed over 12,000 operations, often on the sickest and tiniest of children. During that time he was also an integral part of the academic teaching faculty. David was a mentor, a trusted colleague, and a friend to not only his physician colleague's but also to the hundreds of residents he trained over the years and to the nursing team who supported his work. He was known for his patience and kind teaching approach, his genuine concern, and for his ability to always find time for anyone who needed it. When Arnold Palmer Hospital opened its pediatric emergency department, Dr. Miller worked with his partners to build a program of trauma care surgical services that is now recognized as one of the best in the country. With the opening of the Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women and Babies, he thrived on the challenge to help create a pediatric surgical service that will benefit the Orlando community for generations to come. He will be remembered for his love, compassion, care and dedication to his patients and for his friendship. He found joy and delight spending time with his wife, Barbara, all his children, grandchildren, and dear friends. He loved the arts, music and literature, soccer, the night sky, and so much more. His thirst for knowledge paired perfectly with his uncanny ability to learn anything that interested him, from sailing to classical guitar. He was an adventurer who felt most at home on the seas aboard his sailboat, Namaste. He was quietly but deeply spiritual and relied on his faith to sustain him through difficult and sad times in his life. Dr. Miller made a difference in this world, and while his legacy will continue, he will be missed deeply. To paraphrase what one of his young friends said about him, "if there were a star for every person, David was the North Star whose light will be carried on through all those who knew and loved him."Dr. Miller is survived by his loving wife Barbara Parkey-Miller, his daughter Rebecca (Ben) Warthen, his son Alec Miller, his stepdaughters Stephanie Lindsay, Jennifer Lindsay, and Rebecca Jane Lindsay (Rob Pennington), his grandchildren, Gabriel, Christopher, Nicholas, Vivienne Rose, Roscoe and Edward, his sister Janis (Wayne) Tolliver, his dear friend Ted Strickland, and special nieces and nephews.He is preceded in death by his beloved son Colin David and daughter, Chelsea Lauren, his brother "Jim Ed" Miller, special grandmother Sally Eaton Max, and parents Edgar and Mary Julia (Max) Miller.A celebration of Dr. David Miller's life will be held on Tuesday, April 2, 2019 at 6:00 PM at the Orlando Museum of Art, 2416 N. Mills Ave, Orlando with a reception to follow. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in memory of Dr. David Miller to the Kentucky United Methodist Children's Homes, 1115 Ashgrove Road, Nicholasville, Kentucky 40356.