William Earl Miller, JR, MD passed on May 12, 2022 after a brief battle with cancer. He was born in Washington, DC to William E. Miller, SR and Florence Miller. He grew up in Phoenix, Arizona. He attended Phoenix College before heading off to Stanford University and then on to the University of Utah Medical school. His internship was at the Veterans Hospital in Salt Lake City. His residency took him to Dallas, Texas to the Parkland Memorial Hospital. It was there that he met a nurse named Polly who would become his wife. After his fellowship at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, he joined the Air Force and the two of them moved to Lackland Air Force Base. While there, he was responsible for a one thousand bed hospital on the weekends. He and Polly then moved to Tucson, Arizona where he opened his private practice called Southern Arizona Allergy Associates and administered to patients for 37 years. He was the co-founder and co-Medical director of Respiratory Care at St Joseph’s hospital (1967-1985) as well as an attending staff member. He was Chief of Medicine (1973-1974) and Associate Medical Director (1985-1991) there as well. He was also an attending staff member at TMC Hospital and a courtesy staff member at El Dorado Hospital. He was an allergy consultant at RW Bliss US Army Hospital (1966-1988) and worked at the Veterans Hospital as well as St. Elizabeth of Hungary Clinic. He served on the boards of the Tucson Allergy Society and the Arizona Allergy Society (1988-1992). He contributed to articles on the studies of macroglobulin antibodies and their effects on infants, children and adults. In 1971 he wrote the chapter on Bronchial Asthma in Conn’s current therapy published by Saunders. Bill loved to fish and he spent years sharing that joy with his family in Mexico, the White Mountains and Canada. He admired the desert and believed in the preservation of endangered cactus. He grew hundreds of them from seeds with his favorites being the Night Blooming Cereus and the red-bloom barrel cactuses. He was proud of being one of the doctors who got the non-native Olive trees banned as they were an allergy issue. He believed in meeting people where they are and thought all children should have a wagon to ride in. In 2013 when his beloved Polly became gravely sick, he brought her home so that he and the family could take care of her until she passed away four months later. He was a kind person but he also had moments in which he suffered the dreaded “foot in the mouth” disease. He even earned the nickname “Wild Bill” when his passionate side took over. He was preceded in death by his parents, his wife of 54 years, Polly (2013), his grandson Ryan (2019) and his brother Robert (2020). He is survived by their five much loved “M” children and their spouses: Mark, Melissa (Richard), Martin (Lara), Matthew and Michael. He is also survived by their granddaughters Ashlee, Taylor and Tess, grandson Benjamin and great-grandchildren Kaden, Blake and Lily. Cremation was provided by Bring’s Broadway Chapel. The family is planning a memorial in May 2023. Please donate to the Gospel Rescue Mission or the charity of your choice in remembrance of Bill.
Published by Arizona Daily Star on Nov. 27, 2022.
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