Richard Charles Miller

On December 21, 2024, Richard Charles Miller, passed away suddenly. He had just turned 79 years old. 

A United States Marine Corps Vietnam veteran, he was a proud and stubborn man till the very end. He was born Richard Platzer in Queens, New York to Phyllis and Frank Platzer, but was adopted and raised by his maternal grandparents, George and Florence Miller. George Miller served in the Marine Corps in both World Wars and his daughter, Richard’s Mother, Phyllis, was a decorated Marine during World War II and was one of the first 50 female Marines on Parris Island. While stationed in Cherry Point, NC, she received a medal for heroic measures after a plane crash in the Atlantic Ocean. Being so proud of his parents and their service, Richard joined the Marine Corps directly after graduating from Aviation high school, in 1964. In the Marines, he was an airline mechanic and airman, like his mother. In Vietnam, he received an Air Medal for meritorious achievement and a purple heart. 

Richard married Eileen Langston in 1967 and had four children. John, Shannon, James, and Kerry. They raised their family in Levittown, New York. He later re-married in 1990 to Theresa Gaimaro, and they resided in West Babylon, NY. 

For over 20 years, Richard worked as an airline mechanic for Pan American Airlines out of JFK. He was also an avid car lover, collector, and all-around tinkerer. He was a member of the Long Island hot rod association and probably numerous other car clubs, and was well known at all the Long Island car shows in the summers.  

He was a member of the organization Vietnam Veterans of America, and took his 13 year old daughter to Eisenhower Park to see John McCain speak about POW’s. A year later he took her to the Vietnam wall, and she wrote the only poem that she ever had published, for him. 

In 2020, he moved to Benton, Pennsylvania and spent his remaining days in peace and solitude, reading his hundreds of books and naming all the wildlife that wandered into the yard. Richard was preceded in death by his parents, grandparents, both wives, and his oldest son John. Those losses never left him, and we are all comforted by his ability to be with them again. 

Surviving are his two sisters, Barbara Schaad and Debbie Rhatigan, his daughter and son in law, Shannon and Richard O’Brien, his son and daughter in law James and Robin Miller, and daughter and son in law, Kerry and Aaron Jones. Richard also has seven grandchildren that he loved fiercely. Ashliegh, Kimberly, Sarah, Catherine, James Jr., Leia and Jack, as well as two great grandchildren, Layla (buttercup) and Brandon. 

Richard was a reclusive and private man, and his only final wishes were to have the Marines see him off. The service will be held at McMichael Funeral Home, Inc., 4394 Red Rock Road, Benton, PA 17814 on Monday, December 30, 2024 at 1pm. A Marine Corps honor guard has committed to being there, but I am hoping I can coax any and all Marines, Veterans, or legion members to come pay their respects and see off their brother in arms. I know how much that would mean to him.  

The McMichael Funeral Home, Inc., of Benton, is honored to serve the Miller Family.  For online condolences, please visit our website:  www.mcmichaelfuneralhome.com

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