Thomas F. Miller, Retired Cop
Tommy Miller, a 12th-generation Bonacker who retired from the East Hampton Town Police Department in 2004 after 22 years on the force, was “part of the community in so many ways,” said Michael Sarlo, the department’s current chief. “He knew everyone and spent a great deal of time building relationships on the job. If we all got out of the patrol car and talked to people as much as he did, we’d all be better at our jobs,” said Mr. Sarlo.
Mr. Miller, also called Bubba, was honored as Police Officer of the Year in 1993. “He had a great sense of humor and always spoke his mind, regardless of what you may think of his opinions,” Chief Sarlo said. The retired cop, who was known to go out of his way for young officers, remained highly popular with his peers to the end.
He was also a 15-year volunteer with the Amagansett Fire Department, which honored him this week with a memorial bunting above the firehouse, and a five-year member of the East Hampton Fire Department before that.
Mr. Miller, who was 56, died at his home, Oak-Dale Farms on Three Mile Harbor Road in East Hampton, during the early morning hours Monday. He was diagnosed with melanoma in 2002, and after an initial removal of the lymph nodes had a clean bill of health until 2011, said his wife, Lianne Bennett Miller.
“Even while he was sick and weak, whenever I would run into him, he always took time to talk about the guys on the job, and showed an honest interest in everyone,” said Chief Sarlo. “He was so positive and supportive. I admire the way he handled himself and the personal courage he displayed.”
The Millers, who were married in 1993, lived at the farm with their three children and a menagerie of horses, horned cattle, chickens, and pets. OakDale Farms, which supplies many households and businesses with hay and shavings, is easily spotted, with a giant American flag painted on the side of its barn.
Mr. Miller could often be found with his shiny Peterbilt semi-tractor making deliveries on the East End, or running upstate or to Pennsylvania and Vermont for pickups. “Tommy’s grin while driving his truck was a welcome sight for many,” said the family.
Born Thomas Francis Miller on Jan. 12, 1959, in Southampton Hospital to Nathaniel H. Miller and the former Cathryn Sadowsky, both now deceased, he graduated from East Hampton High School. His first wife, the former Debra Ann Stonemetz of Springs, died in 1991.
In addition to his wife, Mr. Miller is survived by twin daughters, Michelle Lee Miller of East Hampton and Lisa Ann Moser of Chesapeake, Va., and a son, Charlie Thomas Miller, a junior in high school. He also leaves a brother, Kevin F. Miller of East Hampton, and many relatives in the Miller, Bennett, and Stonemetz families, among them 20 nieces and nephews.
Visitation will be held on Saturday at the Amagansett Firehouse from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Services will follow, with the Rev. Peter Allen, who was chaplain at the firehouse during Mr. Miller’s time there, officiating. Mr. Miller’s ashes will then be buried at Oak Grove Cemetery in Amagansett, and the family will receive friends afterward back at the firehouse.
Memorial donations have been suggested for any of the organizations important to Mr. Miller: Amagansett Fire Department, P.O. Box 911, Amagansett 11930; East Hampton Town Police Benevolent Association, P.O. Box 1035, East Hampton 11937; East Hampton Fire Department, 1 Cedar Street, East Hampton; American Legion Post 419, P.O. Box 1343, East Ham; Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, 1275 York Avenue, New York 10065, or East End Hospice, P.O. Box 1048, Westhampton Beach 11978.