John Wesley Miller

John was born on September 9, 1933 to Wesley Helm and Helen May (Ricketts) Miller in Webb City, Missouri.

John’s father Wes moved to Tucson ahead of the family in 1947, found a foothold in construction and real estate and brought Helen, John, and John’s younger sister Linda to Tucson in 1948. His brother, Greg was born soon after.

John proudly graduated from Tucson High School in 1951 and attended the University of Arizona. For over seventy years, John was a Badger and a Wildcat through and through.

John began as a builder and real estate developer working with his father. Over his career he became one of the most prominent green builders in the country, organizing the nation’s first solar parade of homes, serving as the primary builder for the Biosphere II project, and holding leadership positions on any number of boards and committees at local, state, and national levels.

Having recently celebrated 42 years of sobriety, John was a sponsor and mentor to many people struggling with substance abuse. He was great supporter of Alcoholics Anonymous and was a fixture at AA meetings and events around Tucson. To his last days, John was full of gratitude for the decades of support he received from Tucson’s AA community.

In the dictionary under “extrovert” there ought to be a picture of John. He seemed to know everyone in Tucson. Any outing was inevitably delayed or interrupted by running into an old or new friend, sometimes to the exasperation of his family. John loved few things more than getting to know people and making connections with and between them.

Over the last few weeks, as John’s conditioned worsened, he was heartened by the great outpouring of love and friendship from many friends he has made over the years. His family has had the privilege of hearing from dozens and dozens of people who have benefited greatly from knowing John.

John leaves behind a large immediate and extended family, including his beloved wife, Lorraine Drachman, sister Linda Miller, daughters Katharine Kent (Kevin Krause), Cynthia Sedman, Michele Miller, Julia Miller (Sean Clark), and Krista Miller (Troy Dainty), and sons John Wesley Miller, Jr., Charles Boxley, and Rik Miller. He was preceded in death by daughters Lisa Martin (Ken Martin) and Deborah Elder (James Elder), a toddler son, Troy Matthew Miller, his brother Gregory Miller, as well as granddaughter Ashley Crowell and great-grandson Beau Vincent. He had dozens of grandchildren and great-grandchildren, nieces and nephews near and far. Of all his many professional accomplishments and accolades, John knew that friends and family were his greatest legacy.

John’s family would like to thank all the wonderful caregivers from The Forum at Tucson, especially Valerie and Michael. Colette Lopez, a private caregiver, was invaluable early in 2021. The care team from Tucson Medical Center Hospice helped fill John’s last days with comfort, especially Teresa and Suzie. A public memorial celebration will be held on Saturday, May 7th, 2022 at 12:34pm in the Tucson High Magnet School auditorium, 400 N 2nd Avenue.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in John’s memory to Patronato San Xavier, PO Box 522, Tucson, AZ 85702 (https://patronatosanxavier.org), Tucson Botanical Gardens, 2150 N Alvernon Way, Tucson, AZ 85712 (https://tucsonbotanical.org/donate/), or Gospel Rescue Mission, 4550 S Palo Verde Rd, Tucson, AZ 86714 (https://grmtucson.com/donate/).

East Lawn Palms Mortuary will handle future interment arrangements.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.eastlawnpalmsmortuary.com for the Miller family.