By Robert Remler
His body was lost in the bureaucracy, but his spirit was remembered by the people of the village. More than one month after George Miller, a friend of Valley Stream wildlife, collapsed and died while waiting for a bus outside Hendrickson Park, a funeral service was held for him at the Moore Funeral Home on West Jamaica Avenue.
Donna Moore donated her funeral home's services, she said, simply because the agonizing bureaucratic delay in burying Miller had gone on for too long. "I feel this is again giving back to people who are less fortunate," she said. "We wanted to do something good for George, because he deserves this." She recalled that in 1992, the funeral home held a service for Miller's mother. "He was a friend to us."
Following the service, a white code enforcement car with flashing yellow lights led a cortege of vehicles from Moore's through Valley Stream and Hendrickson Park where Miller's association with the park's ducks, swans and other wildlife earned him his sobriquet, the duck man.
Ten cars and three village trucks trailed the shiny, black Cadillac hearse, slowly moving passed the administration building behind Central High School, where he had spent so much time, and then onto the Rockville Cemetery in Lynbrook.
More than 30 people including village officials, park employees and friends of Miller, came to pay their respects at Moore's Funeral Home. His wooden casket covered with a light-gray cloth rested on a pedestal in a viewing room in front of red and white drapes. At each end of the casket candles burned in red glass urns. An ornate bouquet of pink, white and yellow carnations rested on the closed casket.
The Rev. Brenda S. Overfield, of the Holy Trinity Episcopal Church on Brooklyn Avenue, conducted the service. Midway into the service, she deviated from the liturgy. "He's probably now tending a park somewhere with the ducks," she said.
Florence Tennenbaum, who shared lunch on park benches with Miller, was relieved her friend was released from his long stay at the Nassau County morgue in East Meadow. "I am so happy that he is finally being buried," she said. "Finally he is getting a decent burial." She continues to feed ducks in his absence. "I still picture him walking in the park with that bucket. ... I still look for him in the park," she said.
Pastor Robert Howard, from Grace United Methodist Church, sat in the viewing room alongside the mayor's wife, MaryAnn Cahill, Village Clerk Vincent Ang, Deputy Mayor Guido Cirenza and village public works supervisor Phil Tondi.
Pastor Howard remembered Miller's ability to engage people in conversation and recalled how his own grandson was befriended by him. "He was a little taste of rural America right here in our backyard," said Pastor Howard. The wonder of how the village and residents responded to the sadness of Miller's passing was not lost on Pastor Howard. "This is remarkable, but George had that effect on people."
Doug Clark, manager of the pool in Hendrickson Park, said that Miller was the best night watch man he had in almost 20 years. Four pool employees joined Clark at the service.
George Baker, director of recreation in Hendrickson Park, had known Miller since 1981. "He just showed up in the park one day," he said. "Seeing him walk around the park, feeding the ducks and picking up trash, was a way of life." With his long gray and blond beard, Miller "was kind of like a mountain man. He would walk around with a tee-shirt during the winter," Baker said.
His gruff appearance hid his gentleness, two Central High School students said. Rebecca Johnson and Spring Palser befriended Miller in the park behind Central High School. "He would never shed anger," said Johnson. "He didn't even know anger," said Palser.
Park employee Barbara Diglio agreed with the high school students. "He was a compassionate person." She thought that the funeral service in his honor was 'marvelous.' "Finally he is being decently buried."
Tim Leahy knew Miller from walking around Hendrickson Pond. Miller would have loved knowing people cared enough about him to provide a funeral service, he said. "He would have gotten a kick out of it," Leahy said of the procession through the park.
Donny Maxon, a village resident, thought the service provided by the Moore Funeral Home was wonderful. "It would be sad if he never would have had a final resting place."
Dorothy Alloca, fellow member of Friends of the Wildlife expressed relief that Miller finally was being buried. "He has found his peace," she said.
With the winter's sunlight reflecting off the ice on which they sat, wild gulls watched the procession leave the park, bringing George Miller to his final resting place.
