Benjamin Clark Miller
MILWAUKEE - Ben Miller, 55, a native of Columbus, Ohio passed peacefully at his home Friday, Sept. 15 in Milwaukee, WI. Ben loved music and was a talented hard rock and heavy metal musician, playing lead and rhythm guitar. Ben entered the workforce working third shift, driving an electric supply box truck for CED from Pewaukee to Green Bay nightly. Ben loved to drive and the independence it gave him. Whether his beloved Cutlass Supreme, or his blue Mazda, he loved cars. Around age 40, Ben became an informal music critic, attending shows whenever he could, and posting hilarious reviews on social media platforms.
In the late 1990s, Ben began writing his own comedy and performing at open mic events near UW Milwaukee, and OSU campus. Ben’s self-deprecating comedy made light of his fight for sobriety and chain-smoking habits. A regular attendee of AA meetings at St. Mark’s Episcopal in Milwaukee, his proudest moment was earning annual AA sobriety coins. His 13 year coin was a particularly prized possession. Tough on himself, Ben was incredibly generous with everyone he met, always quick to offer words of encouragement, a cigarette, or a place to stay.
In 2017 Ben was a lucky liver transplant. He was profoundly grateful to the donor, and St. Luke’s Hospital medical staff for their work. The new lease on life was an amazing thing to behold.
An animal lover from an early age, Ben was a dog person. A Rottweiler dog owner, Ben cared for his pet Sam for many years, and lately Rollie Fingers.
Ben attended Wauwatosa East HS, in Milwaukee, but graduated from Whetstone HS in Columbus, OH. Ben attended OSU Main Campus, but his life’s passion was in playing music, being with friends, hanging out at Bradford Beach, watching Brewer’s baseball, Buckeye Football, and in being a productive member of the workforce. A gifted distance runner, Ben competed in the 800 meter run (indoor PR of 2:07), and ran Varsity Cross Country for Whetstone in the 1986 City League Championships at the Park of Roses. He loved the water, walking his dog along the Lakefront whenever he could, and fishing with his dad, every September near Eagle River, WI.
Ben is survived by a longtime girlfriend Karen Merideth of Hilliard, OH, his loving mother Kathleen O. Miller (Bruce Thompson) of Milwaukee, WI., father Larry Miller (Eloise), of Granville, OH., his older brother Adam C. Miller (Helen), of Columbus, OH., and sisters Jessica (Jason) Garron of Fairbanks, AK., and Laura Thompson (Brooklyn, NY); along with many aunts, uncles, and cousins. Ben is predeceased by his uncle Frank Miller, aunts Jane Ford, and Gretchen Williams and his grandparents Harry & Martha Miller, of Cols. (OH) and Clark V. and Peggy Ortman, of Cleveland.
In lieu of flowers the family encourages donations made in Ben’s name to a local Alcoholics Anonymous or any area humane society chapter. The Miller family plans to hold celebrations of Ben’s life in Milwaukee and in Central Ohio in October.