Derek Miller, a 2000 graduate of East Hampton High School who lived here and in Jacksonville, N.C., died at home in Jacksonville on Sept. 10. He was 41. His family did not provide a cause of death other than to say he had not been ill.
He will be remembered as “a gentle, loving soul who was kind to everyone he met, and he was always willing to lend a helping hand,” his family wrote.
Derek Justin Miller was born at Southampton Hospital on Jan. 14, 1981, to Lawrence Wesley Miller III and the former Vonda Kay Lester. He attended elementary school in Springs until 1992, when his family moved to Amagansett.
His children, Natalie, 14, and Noah, 9, were his favorite things to talk about. “Derek loved them more than there are grains of sand on the beaches, fish in the sea, and waves on the ocean,” his family wrote.
Mr. Miller enjoyed the water, particularly Accabonac Harbor, music, good conversation, and working with his hands. “He was a rockstar without a band,” his family wrote.
A parting thought they shared was “don’t be late,” a lighthearted reference to his sense of punctuality.
In addition to his children, Mr. Miller leaves three siblings, Joshua Miller and Alexandra Eddy of East Hampton and Cregg Miller of East Hampton, Mass., and several nieces and nephews.
Visiting hours will be tomorrow at the Yardley and Pino Funeral Home in East Hampton from 7 to 9 p.m. A graveside service will take place on Saturday at 10:30 a.m. at Green River Cemetery in Springs, with a celebration of Mr. Miller’s life to follow at the Amagansett Firehouse.
