In Memory of Henry Miller Jr. Class of 1967 By Víctor Manuel Ramos September
30, 2001
Firefighter Henry A. Miller Jr. had a lot to look forward to
in his life. A longtime Massapequa resident and cancer survivor,
he was to celebrate his 53rd birthday and seventh wedding anniversary
with relatives and friends next month. After 28 years of service
with downtown Brooklyn's Ladder 105, Miller was also considering
retirement two years from now, finally yielding to repeated requests
from his concerned wife. But Miller was right across the bridge
from the World Trade Center last Tuesday morning and, just as
he did after the terrorist trade center bombing in 1993, drove
one of the company's hook and ladder trucks to be with his colleagues
among the first emergency personnel at the scene. Miller never
returned and is officially listed among the missing in last week's
attack. His relatives and friends want to remember him as the
gentle and jovial fellow he was, a bulky man who loved the sea,
surfing and scuba diving, but who mostly saw himself as a firefighter,
always willing and ready to help. Miller, whose father retired
as a 38-year veteran of the department, had been injured in the
line of duty before, including the time when he suffered serious
smoke inhalation trying to rescue people after the 1993 bombing.
Miller was born in New York City and grew up in the Rosedale section
of Queens. Although he started studies to become an accountant
at Manhattan's City College, he soon decided he wanted to follow
in his father's footsteps and become a firefighter. He was of
composed character, rarely raising his voice or losing his temper
about anything, relatives and friends said, a trait that fit well
with his devotion to help those in need. But he was also a fun-loving
Irishman who knew where to get the best pizza on Long Island and
in New York City, and who loved practical jokes. When Miller was
diagnosed with cancer about eight years ago, he kept going with
his work and life, eventually beating the disease. He and his
wife, Diane, married seven years ago next month, and Miller was
secretly preparing to commemorate the event. When Diane went through
his belongings this past week, she found a folded receipt from
the jeweler's store where he had purchased a gift for her. His
birthday would have been on Oct. 18. More than once, Miller had
the opportunity to retire but couldn't see himself not helping
people. "He was a part of so many people's lives," said his stepson,
30-year-old Scott Freedman. "He taught me how to be a man, how
to deal with this. He was always a wonderful father to me." Miller's
relatives include a daughter, Melissa Lansbury of Falls Church,
Va.; his parents, Henry Sr. and Beatie of Rockaway Park, Queens;
a granddaughter, Rachel, 18 months old; a brother, Wayne, of Far
Rockaway, Queens, and sisters, Corrine Warnock of Rockaway Park
and Janice Testa of Valley Stream. There is going to be a memorial
service for him tomorrow, Monday, October 1, in Rosedale
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