Sam Stanley Miller MD

Sam Stanley Miller, MD, 79, passed away on September 5, 2025, in San Antonio, Texas, the city where he was born on March 23, 1946. A devoted physician, father and grandfather, lifelong learner, and passionate lover of the arts and sciences, Sam leaves behind a legacy marked by intellectual rigor, compassion, and an enduring curiosity about the world.

He pursued and was defined by his personal standard of Tikkun olam, the Hebrew phrase meaning "repairing the world" and referring to the Jewish concept of human responsibility to improve the world through acts of kindness, social justice, and environmental stewardship.

Sam’s academic journey began at Jefferson High School in San Antonio and led him to Columbia University in New York City. There, he pursued a dual focus in Pre-Med and Liberal Arts from 1963 to 1967. His time at Columbia was distinguished by academic excellence—he consistently made the Dean’s List and served as Class Vice President, reflecting both his scholarly dedication and leadership among peers.

He continued his medical education at Cornell University, earning his MD in Medicine in 1971. Driven by a deep commitment to healing and scientific discovery, Sam further specialized through postgraduate training in Internal Medicine and Endocrinology at the Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences in Rochester, Minnesota, from 1971 to 1977.

Sam’s medical career was defined by decades of service to patients and colleagues alike. After completing his training, he returned to San Antonio with his young family, and established a private practice in endocrinology that would grow to include participation in many clinical trials to advance the care for his and other patients. In 1987, he was appointed Chief of Staff at Methodist Hospital—a role that underscored his clinical expertise and earned respect within the medical community. Throughout his career, Sam remained dedicated not only to treating illness but also to advancing medical knowledge through research and mentorship.

Beyond medicine, Sam nurtured a wide array of interests that reflected his multifaceted intellect and creative spirit. He found joy in classical and jazz music, often immersing himself in compositions that stirred both emotion and thought. An avid painter with an eye for detail and color, he expressed himself through visual art as well as science. His love for plants and agriculture revealed a connection to nature, while his enthusiasm for software development and coding demonstrated a forward-thinking embrace of technology, culminating in his development of an innovative clinical trial management system he named Breeze.

Sam is survived by Dottie Jacobson Miller, his beloved wife of 57 years; his son Ethan (and wife Stacey Carter) and granddaughter Alice; daughter Stephanie and grandsons Leo and Alec; son Seth (and wife Sarah) and grandsons Elliot and Gideon.

He is preceded in death by his parents Louis and Rose Miller and their children Marvin Miller and Doris Toubin, and his parents-in-law Rabbi David and Helen Jacobson.

Those who knew Sam remember him as a caring individual whose wide and deep intellect was matched only by his generous heart. May his memory bring comfort to those who knew him and inspiration to those who follow in his footsteps.

A Memorial Service will be held on September 9, 2025, at 1:30 pm at Temple Beth El, 211 Belknap Place, San Antonio, Texas. Family, friends, and former patients are invited to attend. Pallbearers will be: Don Novick, Mark Toubin, David Lefton, Larry Hoberman, Igor Frenkel, Gregg Gugenheim, Hank Goldstein and Louis Hafken. Memorial donations for pancreatic cancer research may be made at Lustgarten.org.