It is with deepest sadness that we say goodbye to Ron Miller, a beloved husband, father, brother and uncle who passed away on August 25, 2023, at age 59.  His memorial service will be held on Wednesday, November 8th 2023 at 5:00 p.m. at Elks Lodge Redondo Beach, 315 Esplanade, Redondo Beach,CA 90277. Family requests casual attire. Please send your RSVP here.

He is survived by his wife, Bee Lian, and daughter Lauren, his brother-in-law, Chor Eng, and his six siblings, Rusti Gilmore, Renee French, Rick Miller, Randall Miller, Rhonda Ciardullo and Jimmy Miller, and many nieces and nephews. Ron was born December 23, 1963, in St. Louis, Missouri, a military brat moving from base to base with his family until finally settling in Redondo Beach after college.  Ron was a graduate of USC's Marshall Business School, and was a Chartered Financial Analyst and Corporate Trust Specialist.   For more about his professional accomplishments, please click here.

Messages from his family and siblings:

"I wish we were able to help you when you needed it" ~ Love, Lauren

"Ron, you are the smartest, most generous, wisest, bravest person I know. Sharing a life with you has brought me great joy. You shared adventures with your enthusiasm and can-do attitude. You led by example with great patience, love, generosity, hard work, kindness, and perseverence. You gave us our miracle, Lauren, and never shied from the hard work that is being a parent. You've raised a beautiful child, showered her with much love and gave her the tools to be a strong woman. You sacrificed and worked hard to keep us safe and fed.  I know you love Lauren and I very very much.   I promise to fulfill the dreams you wished for Lauren. She will make you so proud as she has your spirit of determination, courage, and smarts in her. I will miss you deeply, my beloved partner in life" ~ Bee Lian

"Ron was brilliant beyond belief, protective as any bear, strong as an ox and kinder than any human I have known. He was a fantastic loving big brother whom I will love and miss deeply till my last breath! I hope you have the peace you were so desperately looking for!    "I will always love and miss you my big brother deeply!! And until we meet again, can you watch out for your loved ones that you left behind. Tell Mom, Dad, and Grandma that I love and miss them as well!!   I love you Ron,  Love always, Rhonda" ~ Rhonda

"It isn't that we didn't reach out for you. You couldn't see our hands in the darkness. Within my heart, you will live on as a warrior. Much love, Nay-Nay" ~ Renee

Among some of Ron's philosophies: "Pick your battles" and  "What positive outcomes do you envision". For Lauren, "Always try something new at least once", with new food or experiences. One moment that comes to mind,… Even though Ron did not like the taste of Uni, he gave it a try when Lauren ordered a Japanese style Uni Pasta.  He encouraged Lauren to try activities (like Archery & Martial arts) and in travels to Greece, he took Lauren to swim in the chilly summer Aegean sea, and to partake in Greek dancing lessons in Santorini.  No matter what you do in life, "Pursue your dreams, and have fun doing it" he would say.

Some memories his family and bro-in-law  has to share:

Ron was very proud of Lauren's progress in Jiu Jitsu. They both took Jiu Jitsu group & private classes. He spoke of her doing a great job, and her instructors were impressed with her technique. After class, Ron and Lauren always had their father-daughter lunch at the farmers market and a french bakery.

For Easter,Thanksgiving and Christmas, Ron was always the cook when it came to meats. It was amazing at how efficient and fast he would pull together multiple dishes, among the favorites were his roast lamb with mint sauce, brown sugar/maple sweet potatoes, pearl onions and peas, roasted chestnuts and glazed ham.  Ron and Bee first cooked together during their USC days - he shared a childhood favorite, Betty Crocker's Tuna Helper, and Spaghetti and meat sauce. This was better than cafeteria food!  One evening, Ron showed off Grandma Barron's Corningware plate and its chip resistant claim. "Look, it won't break!" he drops the plate to the ground  …. it shatters  … :eyes: Ron never heard the end of it.

Winter is filled with birthdays for Lauren and Ron.  Ron was deeply involved with Bee planning Lauren's birthdays. He was always there to support Bee's crazy ideas, and guide the parties along. Whether it was the dinosaur egg hunt, the electric potatoes or bubbling volcanoes for the science fare, or as Snape in the Hogwarts Mystery Hunt, Ron always gave 200%. Ron's birthdays was usually celebrated privately with a family dinner. He loved to eat home style French, Brazilian Steakhouses, Persian, Japanese and Korean. Ron loved country pates, cheeseboards (feta and blue cheese), lamb shanks, beef bourguignon, steaks, bibimbap, sashimi and rolls.  Home Depot Christmas trees was an important tradition - choosing some mysterious tree bundle, pulling the tree while young Lauren sits on the cart for a ride. Unbundling the wrapped tree was exciting. Last Christmas (2022), Ron exclaimed we got a beautiful tree with nicely spread healthy limbs, and the top was perfectly upright for a Star. New Years was celebrated with boisterous beating of a Tibetan Singing Bowl, some bubblies and apple cider as we watched televised Big Apple countdown or in recent years, a live stream of cities around the world popping off their fireworks for New Years.

An avid outdoors person, Ron loved reading and practicing  how to survive in the wilderness. He loves sharing his passion during hikes/camping like tying knots, getting a flame started, or how to tread carefully in bear country. Ron enjoyed taking his family on camping trips (playing the guitar with the Sojka family), loved hiking in the State Parks every weekend, going to national parks with the Tan Family (presenting Bee with a fragrant wild iris growing by a river; drinking glacier waters from a trip to Jasper Canada; climbing the precarious edges of the Delicate Arch in Arches Canyonland, Utah; Kayaking with Lauren in Portland's Olympic National Park), wine tasting in Santa Barbara County (once using our pup labrador, Mocha, as a "chick magnet"), and attending Hollywood Bowl summer concerts (enduring outdoor farts from a nearby attendee). Speaking of farts, we had to sleep with our shivering dog, Mocha, in the camping tent during the early Spring. Mocha was farting all night long in the tent :D but it did not phase the intrepid camper inside of Ron.  Ron was interested in the performing arts, any cultural, or gastronomic experience. He loved a wide range of ethnic cuisines, and after he met his wife from Malaysia, he would embrace spicy curries. His brothers Rick and Randall were impressed by Ron's cooking skills as a young man, whipping up delicious kielbasa vegetable stew. Brother-in-law Chor Eng had this to say: "In another instance, Ron ate a very stinky Asian fruit called "durian" which was avoided by most non-Asians as they find the smell very offensive. However, Ron took it in stride and ate a few!"

He enjoyed scuba diving at one point in his life, but in recent years enjoyed playing the guitar and martial arts in his spare time. He was an excellent student of the Filipino stick fighting martial art called Kali, trained at the Inosanto Academy in Marina Del Rey, studied years of the Indonesian Pencak Silat martial arts under the DeThouars brothers, and Steven Plinck in Portland. Most recently devoted his training in jiu-jitsu at the Gracie University with his daughter.

Ron was a loving and protective husband and father. He will be incredibly missed by everyone who knew him personally, and from interacting with him professionally. The family is appreciative of the outpouring of love and respect for this wonderful human being.

Donations in Ron's name may be made to the USO by using https://secure.uso.org/donate