MELROSE — Daniel E. Miller, age 40, entered eternal rest on December 5 after a courageous battle with cancer. He was the devoted husband of Prudence Pale Marak; loving son of Herman and Esther Miller and son in law of Merinda Phalley; dear brother of David Miller and Michael and Elizabeth Miller and brother in law of Althea Marak and Benjamin Marak; and the adored uncle of Josephine, Isaac, Mishalo, Fidelio and Gareth.
Daniel was born in Melrose and lived around the area throughout his entire life. Family and close friends called him Danny. He attended Melrose public schools and graduated from UMass Lowell in 2005. He started his career as an accountant and switched to software engineering in 2014.
Daniel will be remembered by most for how he treated people and for being a genuinely nice, kind and humble person. There was something special and unseen about how he interacted with people: polite, never an unkind word and always a kind tone. He never failed to thank the nurses who cared for him even in the midst of pain and discomfort in his final days. The large group of family, friends, coworkers and neighbors who showed up for him as he was battling cancer is a testament to how he cherished and nurtured his relationships. Those close to him will especially miss the attention and kindness he showed and how he was always quick to forgive and let go. He was also good at making people new to him instantly comfortable by showing interest in what they had to say.
Daniel was a lifelong dedicated practitioner of physical, mental and emotional well being. Ever curious, over his life he learned and excelled in countless skills and activities, both as hobbies and professions. As a young man he became known among his friends as strong as a bull after achieving the feat of deadlifting 500 lbs. something he was very proud of. He also spent time volunteering in prisons to teach people public speaking. Up until and even during his last hospitalizations, he was drinking up life, studying, learning and enjoying life. During his cancer treatment, he pursued the AWS Certified Developer certification, one of the most challenging certifications in the Tech Industry offered by Amazon Web Services. This was something he was so happy to have accomplished and excited to celebrate with Prudence over sushi in his final weeks. Daniel was loved by many, inspired many and will be missed by many.
Services at the Goldman Funeral Chapel at 174 Ferry St. (off Route 60), Malden on Friday, December 8 at 1:30 p.m. Interment will follow at Wyoming Cemetery in Melrose. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in his memory to support research on the rare and aggressive form of cancer he had, mediastinal non-seminomatous germ cell cancer by donating to the Indiana University Simon Cancer Center and the work of Dr. Lawrence Einhorn, who went out of his way to support Daniel during his treatment.
Please make donations online at give.myiu.org/iupui/l380014561.html and specify that the donation is “In memory of Daniel Miller” by checking the box “Donate in memory or honor of someone”. You may also make checks payable to: IUF/Testis Cancer Research Fund and mail to IUF; PO Box 7072; Indianapolis, IN 46207-7072. Indicate “In memory of Daniel Miller” on the memo line.”