Obituary of JOSEPH GERALD MILLER

May 29, 1942 – September 4, 2018 Joseph G. Miller, loving husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, brother and friend passed away on Tuesday, September 4th. Joe or “Joe Miller” as he was called by many friends was 76 years old. He was born in New York but moved to California as a young boy. He adopted California as his home and spent many years living in both Southern and Northern California. Joe attended the Southern California Military Academy for 10 years (1947 – 1957). He then attended Phineas Banning High School where he was a graduate of the Summer of ‘60 class. Three years later Joe met his first wife, Irene Ochoa. Joe and Irene were married in 1964. They spent 23 happy years together and had three daughters, Joann, Susan & Wendy. Irene’s untimely passing in 1987 left Joe a widow. While most of us are only lucky to find love once, Joe was twice blessed and married Regina (Gina) LeMaster on April 9, 1989. This union gave Joe two more daughters by marriage, Cammy and Kelly. During his career Joe was a Merchant Marine, later becoming a route salesman once his daughters were born. He spent 30 years in the baking industry working for Granny Goose, Barbara Ann, Holsum, Langendorf and Sara Lee. In his leisure, Joe enjoyed fishing, though he rarely caught anything. He loved to tell jokes, although he often laughed through the punchline. He loved to read and to watch CNN but most of all he loved his family and friends. Joe left a legacy of love behind in his loving wife Gina, his five daughters, Joann (Mike) Hester, Susan (Jeff) Bender, Wendy Miller, Cammy (Rick) Purper and Kelly (Alan) Jones. Ten grandchildren, Sara (Michael) Andrade, Kirstie Bender, Eric Hester, Jillian Bender, Gianna (Kyle) Harvey, Benjamin Purper, Sophia Purper, Haley Jones, Michael Jones & Madielynn Jones. He was blessed with two great-grandchildren, Easton Harvey and Emma Andrade. He also leaves behind his beloved sister, Harriet (Jerry) Mushkot and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, Sam & Mildred Miller, his brother, Arthur and his first wife, Irene. A Southern California memorial service to celebrate Joe’s life will be held on Tuesday, September 18th at Luyben-Dilday Mortuary, 5161 Arbor Road, Long Beach, CA at 11:00 am. A Northern California celebration will be held on Saturday, November 3rd at the clubhouse at 2:00 pm, 1281 Pleasant Valley Road, Diamond Springs, CA. Joe’s final resting place will be at Green Hills Memorial Park next to Sam and Irene.