Edward W. Miller Sr. passed away at his home in Richmond on June 26, 2023 at the age of 91. He was born in Pittsburgh, Penn. on October 8, 1931 to Joseph Charles and Clara Alice Wibner Miller.
Ed earned his BA and MBA from Duquesne University. He played on the Dukes basketball team, and he would later coach Pittsburgh’s St. Basil High School team for nine years and lead them to two state championships.
He instilled his love of sports in his sons, who became athletes and fans. When they were young and living in New Jersey, many of the Steelers football games were only broadcast on the Pittsburgh station, so Ed would load “the boys” in the family wagon and drive west from their home in New Jersey until they reached a motel that got reception for the game.
He served in the Army for six years. He spent most of his career at Ingersoll Rand Corporation. He started as a Division Controller, then he was transferred to corporate headquarters as a Group Controller, and later was promoted to Assistant Corporate Controller. He retired in 1998.
Ed was predeceased by his first wife, Mary McGarry Miller, who died on June 29, 2002, and by his twin brother, Joseph Charles Miller Jr., who died on January 31, 2020.
Ed and Mary were married for 41 years and had six children and 11 grandchildren: Mary Anne (Andrew) Friedman and their children, Jeffery, Lauren, and Julia; Edward W. Miller Jr. (Kerry) and their children, Steven and Madison; Joseph Charles Miller (Rose), and their children Joseph, Alexandra, Tess, and Mary; Daniel McGarry Miller (Megan); John Paul Miller; and Michael Robert Miller (Mary) and their children Kathryn and Abigail Miller. He was also the stepfather of Robert Todd Volkman, son of his second wife, Ellen Molloy Miller.
In 1999, while his wife Mary was seriously ill, Ed received a copy of the Divine Mercy chaplet, with which he prayed for her healing and continued to pray daily for the rest of his life. Soon after, he and Mary discovered the National Shrine of The Divine Mercy in Stockbridge and made their first of many pilgrimages to it. Following Mary’s death, Ed began an enduring partnership with the Marian Fathers to spread the Divine Mercy message, especially through parish programs and a major annual conference in New York. Ed also performed countless acts of mercy through volunteering and charitable giving.
Ed met Ellen at the National Shrine of The Divine Mercy, and they married in 2007.
Visitation will be at the National Shrine of The Divine Mercy on Thursday, June 29 from 4 to 6 p.m., and the funeral Mass will be held at the Shrine on Friday, June 30 at 10:30 a.m. The burial will be held at a later date at Ascension Cemetery. Contributions in Ed’s memory can be made to the National Shrine of The Divine Mercy, P.O. Box 716, Stockbridge, MA 01262.
