John Robert Miller

John would smile when he borrowed from Churchill, stating with his trademark good humor, “My tastes are simple: I am easily satisfied with the best.”

I see now that his life was spent in pursuit of the best of so many things. From quality research studies to Porsche automobiles to Indian cooking, John loved diving deep into a subject. He was passionate about Northern Virginia swim leagues, UVA basketball, Auburn football (eventually), vintage champagne, a good fitting pair of Birkenstocks, a recently sharpened chef’s knife, a perfectly crafted cocktail, homemade chicken stock, a competitive game of Mario Kart, Alpine skiing, Roald Dahl’s “sparky” vocabulary, voracious reading, and more. He had a thirst for knowledge, and an appreciation for doing things well.

As John reflected in his 5th grade autobiography, “I’ve had an odd and exciting life. Funny and great things are the things that stand out to me the most.” John’s enthusiasm for being there for his teammates, showing up with a smile and sense of optimism, and savoring life’s most precious moments was there from the get-go.

He also knew good art when he encountered it. John loved movies and would argue The Sopranos was the best television show ever made. He also loved music. He used it to make people feel good, to turn something mundane into something joyful. I could always count on John to turn up the volume on Mary Chapin Carpenter and Jimmy Buffett as we danced along in the kitchen.

These qualities, among many, many others, made him the best travel companion. We loved to travel; we lived for it. We moved to Switzerland just after our wedding and traveled more in our five years abroad than we could have ever imagined.

It was just last Friday when John and I sat at our kitchen table and planned our travel for the year. We were giddy thinking about how we would bring Eliza with us to Switzerland in October to begin the tradition of showing the world to our girls. We calculated when they would be old enough to go on a safari in South Africa and eat ramen in Japan.

The joy and aspirations we shared at the table that day will stay with me forever, and I know helping Eliza and Mary Florence explore and serve the world around them will be part of John’s legacy.

But for all the distances John traveled, he knew the most important was the space between two people. He loved truly getting to know someone. And at a time when so many are aching to be seen, I can’t help but see John as a salve. He was unmatched in his ability to know you and love you.

John’s deepest love went to his daughters. He loved his daughters more than anything in this world. Eliza and Mary Florence are two daddy’s girls through and through.

John was also the most amazing husband. He was always telling me he felt we were from the same tribe since the day we met. I’ve never known peace like what I felt every time I’d pull into the driveway after picking the girls up from school and see John in the window, cooking a homemade meal for us for dinner. John wanted the best for us, he took care of us, and he loved us in a way that was so pure and so true.

The poet Khalil Gibran wrote, “we live only to discover beauty, all else is a form of waiting.” I can say with confidence, John found what we all seek. He wasn’t waiting. He was living, basking in beauty, thanks to our girls and the family we formed together.

I don’t know why God called John home at the age of 39. But my working theory is that John was meant to be an agent of God in life and in death. John showed me, and everyone who knew him, the best of what life on earth has to offer. And in leaving, brought us all closer to the Divine.

John Robert Miller was born September 26, 1985, and died January 5, 2025, at the age of 39 from a heart attack. He was born in Fairfax, Virginia and graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in 2004. He graduated with distinction from the University of Virginia earning a Bachelor of the Arts in History and a Master of Science in Commerce. He was a brother of Sigma Pi fraternity. John loved his job working for Medtronic where he hoped to play a small part in their mission to make cardiovascular illness a thing of the past through advances in medical technology. He married Dorothy Elizabeth Westmoreland on May 27, 2017.

John is survived by his wife Dorothy Elizabeth Westmoreland, two daughters Elizabeth Rosemarie Miller, and Mary Florence Miller. Parents Madeline and Robert Miller, and sisters Deborah (Karl) Soderlund and Ashley Miller. Beloved nieces and nephews Marina Soderlund, Isaac Soderlund, Joshua Soderlund, and Salem Guy. He also leaves behind a loving grandmother, adoring aunts, uncles, and cousins, and an absolutely heartbroken group of friends. A special thanks to longtime friend David Dotson and Arlington County Emergency Services for doing everything in their power to save him.

John’s family is holding a memorial service on Sunday, January 12 at 2:30 p.m. at First Presbyterian Arlington (601 N. Vermont St., Arlington, VA 22203). The Reverend Billy Kluttz will officiate, and a reception will follow in Yount Social Hall.

In lieu of flowers, the Miller family welcomes donations to a Family Travel Fund in John’s honor: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=WKNVS9W47EHSJ; or see the link below.

The memorial service will be live streamed for friends near and far using this link: https://youtube.com/live/Xs_Ubgfjk4g