Emil Louis Miller, 98, long-time Peninsula resident and piano teacher, passed away on February 25, 2020, in San Carlos, CA.
The only child of Louis J. Miller and Caroline (Benoit) Miller, Emil was proud to have been born and raised in the Excelsior district of San Francisco. He attended Corpus Christi grammar school and Balboa High School. In his late teens, he played piano in various San Francisco hotels and clubs, as well as on the Matson Lines’ Lurline itinerary to Hawai’i. After the outbreak of World War II, Emil was drafted and joined the Army Air Corps (later renamed Air Force) and reached the rank of Technical Sergeant as a Radio Operator. Emil was on high priority flight crews which ferried aircraft from the United States to various fronts until the end of the war. Once he reached his 80s, he loved to share stories of his missions and places he visited while in the service.
When he and his first wife, Mary Kilmartin Miller, moved the growing family to the Peninsula in 1948, he taught piano and organ lessons in private homes as well as at Sherman Clay stores in San Mateo and Hillsdale. While teaching during the day, he also played piano/organ in Peninsula restaurants and clubs at night, most notably, the Pioneer Hotel in Woodside, Rickey’s in Palo Alto, Cirque de Soliel restaurant in San Carlos, and the Lobster Trap in the newly-developing Foster City. He retired from teaching and evening entertainment in 1989.
Emil is survived by his devoted children who mourn their deep loss: Barbara M. Reising (Bill); Sr. Carol Miller, SND; Catherine M. Tierney (Bill, deceased); George L. Miller (Kristin). From his marriage to Dorothy R. Appleby (deceased), Emil shared warm and very close relationships with his step-children: Robert Appleby (deceased) and Rabbi Teri Appleby (Jonathan). He was blessed with nine grandchildren: Mary Walsh Kideckel, Joan Walsh, Elizabeth Miller, Kasey Miller (deceased), Conness Miller, Kianna Miller, Coel Miller, Jaswinder Singh Khalsa, and Zachary Appleby-Leo. He was further blessed with seven great-grandchildren.
The family is most grateful to Emil’s devoted caregiver for nine years, Venus Hosena, who also spent ten earlier years caring for Dorothy. The staff and administrators at Peninsula Elder Care Home on Laurel Street in San Carlos were extraordinarily kind and caring over Emil’s final seven months. He could not have had better care over these past years.
There will be a funeral Mass on Thursday, March 19, 10:00 a.m., at St. Catherine of Siena Church, 1310 Bayswater Avenue, Burlingame. Interment will be private. A legacy of his mother’s devotion, Emil’s favorite charity has always been St. Anthony’s Dining Room: 150 Golden Gate Ave, San Francisco, CA 94102. https://www.stanthonysf.org/donate/. Additional information can be found at Skylawn.com/obituaries/Emil-Miller-3.
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Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
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Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
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