Obituary of George (Joe) Joseph Miller

Joe died late Wednesday, October 17th, 2012. He left this life as he lived it: working hard, appreciative of others, and with his sense of humor intact. He had great passion and love for his family and friends, his Catholic faith, and the community of Scotts Valley. Born in Denver, Colorado in April 1941, he was adopted as an infant by George and Florence Miller. Shortly thereafter, the family moved to Twin Falls, Idaho where he lived until he left for college at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington. At Gonzaga, he met and married Chris, his wife of fifty years. After graduating with a BSEE, Joe and Chris moved to Santa Clara County, where their three children were born and spent their early years. He worked for a variety of Silicon Valley companies including NASA Ames, AMS and Intel's Memory Systems Division. He held two patents in the field of electronic memories. After he left Intel, he worked as an independent consultant during the 1980's and early 90's. In 1998 he became the Executive Director of the Scotts Valley Chamber of Commerce, a position he held until his retirement in 2001, shortly after organizing the first annual Art Under the Oaks - now known as the Scotts Valley Art and Wine Festival. In 1979, Joe and his family moved from San Jose to Scotts Valley, where he became interested in local politics, especially regarding land use management and appropriate growth. In 1984 he was elected to the Scotts Valley City Council. He was there for three terms and served as Mayor three times. Skypark, the Transit Center, the new Library and Scotts Valley Drive improvements all had their inception during his time in office, as did Scotts Valley High School. During his years on the Council, he served various terms as Scotts Valley representative to LAFCO, AMBAG, the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission and the Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District. He was the Chair of the Transit District for one term. He served as a Director of the Scotts Valley Water Board on two occasions, from 1996-2000, and from 2008 until his death. His focus on the Board was to continue to improve the water supply through conservation, recharge, and inter-connections with other Water Districts. Both as City Council member and Water Board Director, he was instrumental in getting agreement and development of the recycled waste-water facility, a cooperative effort with the District and the cities of Scotts Valley and Santa Cruz. Service to others was a way of life for Joe. He was actively involved in the Catholic Church from boyhood, served as Freshman Class President at Gonzaga, and after his retirement, transported Santa Cruz County residents to out-of-county medical appointments as a driver for the Red Cross Transportation Program. Joe was an active member of Scotts Valley Kiwanis Club from 1996 until his death. He served as Treasurer multiple times, and put in many hundreds of hours on Kiwanis projects. His favorite activities were hosting the Christmas wrapping party for the gifts Kiwanis presented to Little Brothers / Little Sisters, coordinating and editing the Service Club Roundup for publication in the Banner, and in helping organize and coordinate Music at Skypark. Joe enjoyed traveling with the family when the children were young and with Chris after the children left home. After retirement he and Chris spent several years taking long trips in their fifth wheel rig, traveling most summers and spending the winters in Scotts Valley. He is survived by his wife, Chris, his daughter Debbie and her husband Martin Guyotte of Newport, RI, son Steve and his wife Megan of Scotts Valley, daughter Jennifer and her husband Kevin Grove of Scotts Valley. He leaves three grandchildren, Samantha, Ashley and Garrett, and many nieces and nephews. His parents, his only sister Anne Hale and his niece Rosemary Gade, both of Grants Pass, Oregon, died before him. A Funeral Mass will be held at San Agustin Catholic Community, 257 Glenwood Drive, Scotts Valley, CA, on Saturday, October 27, 2012 at 1:00 p.m., followed by a reception at the Scotts Valley Community Center, 360 Kings Village Road. Donations may be made to Scotts Valley Kiwanis Club, P.O. Box 66257, Scotts Valley, CA 95067, or to St. Vincent de Paul, 257 Glenwood Drive, Scotts Valley, CA 95066.