William Parker Miller

William “Bill” Parker Miller passed away on January 29th, 2023, at the age of 76. Bill was born in Brooklyn NY and grew up in Roslyn Heights on Long Island. In 1967, he moved to San Francisco to experience the vibrant music and cultural movement, working by day on public works projects in Golden Gate Park by day and playing bass in a rock band by night. In California, he met the mother of his children Wendy Gilmartin. In 1969, and with Wendy pregnant, they packed up a van with their belongings and began a cross country sojourn back east. They married in New York and moved to the base of Moosehead Lake in Greenville, Maine to start their family. Bill was proud to be a conscientious objector to the war in Viet Nam. He and Wendy divorced in 1978 but maintained a relationship as coparents to their children. Bill worked for many years as a Boilermaker for Local 29, AFL-CIO, then based out of Quincy, MA, and was a fervent champion of organized labor. Bill loved music, especially jazz and blues, and was known for his recommendations and gifts of vinyl, tapes, and CDs. He was a huge fan of Bob Dylan. He worked as a music promoter briefly, bringing the Count Basie Orchestra to Raoul’s in Portland. Bill was also the family’s chief historian and genealogist and inspired his children toward further exploration. He fondly shared stories of his mother, Frances Fuller’s rich American story, including her ancestors’ arrival on the Mayflower, service in the Revolutionary War and in the Union Army during the Civil War, inadvertently introducing the water hyacinth to the canals of Florida, captaining steamboats, founding an ale company, and starring in vaudeville productions. Bill was proud of his older brother Chris Miller, who tore a ribald page from that vaudeville playbook and penned the screenplay for Animal House.

He is survived by his daughter Zoe, son Jesse, son-in-law Craig Weaver, daughter-in-law Katya, and grandchildren Isaac, Asa, Nick, and Vivian. Bill’s grandchildren were the light of his life. He was called both Ba and Grandpa Bill and known for gifting “Ba Bucks.” He had fond memories of making a return to San Francisco for a year when Jesse and Katya’s children were small.

The family is planning a celebration of life to be held in Spring 2023. To be notified about the celebration, email [email protected]. Donations in Bill’s memory can be made to the Southern Poverty Law Center https://www.splcenter.org/.