Gerald David Miller, whose adventurous spirit intertwined with an unwavering dedication to his family, died Friday, May 29, 2020, in Lady Lake, Florida. He was 56. 

Born in Niskayuna on April 10, 1964 to Gerald and Huberta Miller, Mr. Miller was, from the outset, easygoing and independent. 

“He had his group of friends; he did his thing,” his mother said. “He was one of those kids who, if he was passing [classes], that was good. ‘It is what it is.’ That was his favorite saying. ‘Don’t worry, Mom; it is what it is.’” 

After graduating from Guilderland High School in 1982, Mr. Miller spent 17 years working for Time Warner Cable. Then, one day, shortly after taking a trip to Las Vegas with his parents, he called them and his sister to let them know he was moving there. 

“So he drove across the country and worked in a casino …. He didn’t know anyone or nothing,” Mrs. Miller said. 

Mr. Miller spent 13 years in Las Vegas, with his parents coming out twice a year to visit, where he would “always have a treat for them,” Mrs. Miller said, whether it was a NASCAR race or someplace else to go. 

Mr. Miller left Las Vegas when his father was hospitalized. He moved back with his parents so he could support them, which he did, in part, by finding them a place to live in Florida, away from the winters of New York. 

“It really shocked me,” Mrs. Miller said of Mr. Miller’s announcement that he was leaving Vegas to take care of her and her husband, “One day we got on the phone and he says, ‘Mom, I’m coming home.’” 

She said she told him it wasn’t necessary, but he had already made up his mind. 

“I said you don’t have to come home,” Mrs. Miller said, “and he said ‘Yeah, I do. Dad’s been in the hospital a few times. You need help …. I’ve already given notice at work; I’ve already given notice at my place. I’ll be traveling back.’ And he did.”

“Family was really important to him,” Mr. Miller’s sister, Suzanne Ascher, said. “So for him to do that was a big deal.” 

After his father died, Mr. Miller stayed with his mother and was a “part-time handyman” for her, Mrs. Ascher joked, handling Mrs. Miller’s plumbing, electrical work, lawn care, and any painting, while working full-time as a grocery clerk. 

He also helped her sell her home and move to Camp Woodstock, in East Berne, about a year before his death. And, in between all that work, Mr. Miller found ways to entertain his mom.

“He loved being on the computer and looking up places and things to do,” Mrs. Miller said. “He’d take me on different road trips and things like that … We had a good time.” 

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Gerald David Miller is survived by his sister, Suzanne M. Ascher, and her husband, Daniel; by his nieces, Rebecca Leigh and Jamie Elizabeth Ascher; and by several aunts, uncles, and cousins.

His grandparents, Truesdell and Beryl Miller, and Hubert and Frances Miller, died before him.

Calling hours will be held on Thursday, June 4, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Fredendall Funeral Home at 199 Main Street in Altamont with a 1 p.m. service to follow. Interment will be at Woodlawn Cemetery in Berne.

— Noah Zweifel