A good man gone to glory

Please pray for the repose of the soul of Neil Henry Miller, and the comfort of his wife Carol. Neil died of brain cancer earlier this week. He was 62.

Mr. Miller had been our son's first piano teacher. He and his equally-creative wife always made our family feel welcome in their home. Carol often played games with Jane while her husband was helping Thomas at the keyboard.

Although he posed wry questions about the craftsmanship of some of the bands whose work defines the "classic rock" genre, Neil appreciated all kinds of music. The thought of J.S. Bach played on a marimba, for example, would have made him smile. He was a patient, honest man, and his emphasis on the fundamentals of theory served his students well. When he sent email in the last two years -- i.e., between bouts of chemotherapy -- he invariably signed it with wishes for "health and love."