Ron Miller — Disney executive, winery co-owner
Ron Miller, a winemaker and former professional football player who helped establish the San Francisco museum dedicated to his fatherin-law, Walt Disney, died Saturday of congestive heart failure.
Miller, who worked as a producer, director and executive at the Walt Disney Co. before founding Silverado Vineyards in the Napa Valley, died at his Napa home. He was 85.
He met his future wife, Diane Disney, on a blind date after a game between his University of Southern California football team and UC Berkeley. They married in Santa Barbara in 1954 and raised seven children. Miller served in the Army and later played quarterback for the Los Angeles Rams in 1962. He was recruited by his father-in-law to work at Disneyland, which opened in Anaheim on July 17, 1955.
He soon moved to Walt Disney Studios, serving as second assistant for the movie “Old Yeller” in 1957. He was a producer on several films, including “Son of Flubber” in 1963 and “Escape to Witch Mountain” in 1975. He also directed portions of “The Magical World of Disney” television series.
After Disney’s death in 1966, Miller led the expansion of the company, creating Disney Home Video, Touchstone Pictures and the Disney Channel. He served as chief executive officer of the Walt Disney Co. from 1978 to 1984, initiating the move into computer animation and stop-motion animation among other creative ventures.
Miller, wife Diane, and mother-in-law Lillian Disney purchased Napa Valley property near Yountville in 1977 and started Silverado Vineyards in 1981.
He left Disney in 1984 and moved with his wife onto the property, where they ran the vineyard. The Millers, who also had a home on Russian Hill, established the Walt Disney Family Museum, which opened in 2009 on the Main Post of the Presidio of San Francisco.
After his wife’s death in 2013, Miller served as president of the board of directors at the museum.
A passionate outdoorsman who loved skiing, hunting, fly-fishing and horseback riding, Miller was known as a funny, highly intuitive man and a great leader.
“He had an incredible mind for business and was both pragmatic and intuitive,” said Kirsten Komoroske, the executive director and board member at the Disney museum. “He also had many wonderful stories about his life with Diane and working with Walt, and we would often spend time after our meetings talking about his memories. Ron was the best boss I’ve ever had.”
He is survived by four sons, Christopher Miller, Walter Elias Disney Miller, Ronald Miller and Patrick Miller; three daughters, Joanna Miller, Tamara Diane Miller and Jennifer Goff; 13 grandchildren; and four greatgrandchildren.
Donations may be made to the memorial fund at the Walt Disney Family Museum, Attention: Director’s Office, 104 Montgomery St., San Francisco, CA 94129.
Services will be private.