Theodore (“Ted”) Charles Miller, 89, passed away September 7, 2022, in Collegeville, Pennsylvania.
Born in 1933, Ted was the first of four children of Theodore Michael Miller and Kathleen Irene Gillick of Troy, New York. On the Gillick side, Ted was the grandson of immigrants from Ireland and, on the Miller side, the great-grandson of immigrants from Germany. Ted’s father was a carpenter, and his mother a homemaker. Ted attended Bell Top Elementary School in North Greenbush and Columbia High School in East Greenbush, where he was an excellent student. With the support of his high school teachers, Ted earned a scholarship to Princeton University, where he studied chemistry, graduating in 1955. Ted was the proud parent and grandparent of two more Princeton alumni, his son Tim and his granddaughter Emily. Ted pursued graduate studies at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, where he earned a Ph.D. in chemistry in 1959. Ted was the proud parent and grandparent of three more Illini, his son Joe, daughter-in-law Kathy, and grandson Charles. Ted worked at Sterling Winthrop Research Institute in Rensselaer, New York, beginning in 1959 until retiring in 1993, first as a research chemist and later as a patent agent, drafting and prosecuting patent applications for the company’s pharmaceutical inventions. Ted shared his interest in chemistry with two of his children, Tim and Beth, and his interest in patent law with his daughter Beth.
At the University of Illinois, Ted met Corinne Maloney, who was a graduate student in home economics. They met at a St. Patrick’s Day party in 1958, and they were married in August 1959 at St. Patrick’s Church in Corinne’s home town of Ridgway, Illinois, where she grew up on a farm. They settled in East Greenbush, New York, near Ted’s parents’ home in Troy and his workplace in Rensselaer. With the help of Ted’s father, he and Corinne built a home on a 14-acre former farm property, where they raised three children. Over the years, Ted made many improvements to their home, including finishing the basement and building a brick fireplace. Together with Corinne, Ted planted a large vegetable garden and kept their home magnificently landscaped.
Ted had a love of music that began in childhood, when he listened to his mother sing as she worked. He learned to play the French horn and appreciated classical music throughout his life. Ted shared his love of music with his children and grandchildren, all of whom played musical instruments. Ted was an accomplished tennis player, a sport he enjoyed throughout his life, both as a player and spectator. He was also a talented photographer, taking portraits of his family and landscapes of the Maloney farm and developing and printing black and white photographs in a home darkroom. For many years, Ted served on the planning board in the town of East Greenbush.
After the children were grown and Ted retired, Ted and Corinne decided to leave their 14-acre home and re-settle in Reston, Virginia, near their daughter and her family. Without the large property to care for, Ted had more time to play tennis, research and write a book about Atlantis, take walks and bike rides with Corinne, and spend time with their grandchildren. Together with Corinne, Ted enjoyed researching and documenting their family histories and traveling to places where their ancestors lived, including Ireland and Germany. They also made many trips to visit relatives, most frequently to Ridgway and the Albany-Troy area. When their health declined, Ted and Corinne moved to a senior care facility near their son’s home. Ted was a lifelong devout Catholic, attending mass every Sunday and weekday mass after retirement.
Ted is predeceased by his wife Corinne, who passed away in Oct. 2021, and survived by his sister Marilyn Ann Brown of Poestenkill, New York; his brother Charles Francis Miller (Kathleen) of Spring Hill, Florida; and his sister Karen Jean Rhea of Delmar, New York; three children, Timothy Mark Miller (Donna) of Phoenixville, Pennsylvania; Elizabeth Miller Roesel (Thomas) of Bozman, Maryland; and Joseph Daniel Miller (Katherine) of Elmhurst, Illinois; and five grandchildren, Emily Margaret Miller of Houston, Texas; Patrick Gaskell Miller of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Erica Corinne Roesel of Loveland, Ohio; Gretchen Elizabeth Roesel of Kannapolis, North Carolina; and Charles Joseph Miller of Elmhurst, Illinois.
Ted’s life of faith and love will be celebrated at a funeral mass on Saturday, September 17, 2022, at 10 am at Sacred Heart Church, 838 Walnut St., Royersford, Pennsylvania, with visitation beginning at 9 am at the church. For those unable to attend in person, a livestream and recorded video of the funeral mass will be accessible on Sacred Heart’s Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/sacredheartchurchroyersford. Ted and Corinne will be inurned in St. Patrick’s cemetery in Ridgway, Illinois.
Memorial donations in Ted’s name may be made to Sacred Heart Church.