Cyril O. Miller

Over the lifetime of Cyril Miller, there was a lot of life.

A large part of that life, if not the majority of it, was spent in Seattle. This was his home, where he found community and where he connected with people.

To call Cyril an entrepreneur would be to minimize the breadth of his accomplishments and impact. Foundationally, Cyril was a business owner. He was successful because he knew that, for a business to survive, it needed to be connected. This is easy enough to understand.

What made Cyril different is that he did it by helping people. Finding others who felt as he felt and collaborating with them to be more impactful. He did this again and again. This was a common theme throughout his life.

Though not overly religious in his tone or manner, he made a point to say, with biblical authority:

"I am my brother's keeper."

It was in this spirit of community that someone can begin to understand his thought process, if only a little.

Starting a business here in Seattle was the goal. This is how the company Seattle Super Smoke began.

Smoked meats of poultry, beef, and pork, paired with a sauce that was notoriously good. This business became a cornerstone of outreach and community, donating time and resources for fundraising. It was featured again and again in culinary articles throughout the region and nation, providing excellent food for national grocery networks, hotels, and cruise lines.

The family-owned company operated for more than 20 years "South of the Dome" in SoDo. At the turn of the millennium, health concerns and obligations meant the business needed to close.

During this period of remission, Cyril's kidneys were found to be in peril. Daily dialysis became part of his routine. His sister, Zelda, graciously donated one of hers in the early 2000s.

That kidney remained with Cyril for the rest of his life. Kidney transplants are not typically expected to last that long. He maintained it through a regimented lifestyle, exercise, and, in no small part, through the help and care provided by his wife from that time until his passing.

It was an amazing gift, one for which he was always thankful whenever his kidney transplant was mentioned.

In his recovery, Cyril became even more active and focused on helping veterans by serving as an advocate at the Seattle VA Hospital.

Helping is an understatement.

He was an unstoppable force for change, clarity, accountability, and improvement.

Cyril helped countless people. Actual, life-changing help. This was his passion.

Through this initiative and effort, he helped get the rehabilitation pool at the VA restored and usable. In partnership with the University of Washington, he helped install a healing garden to bring nature and peace into the VA hospital. Through partnerships with local businesses—many of them national in scope—he connected usable food that would otherwise have been destroyed with veterans and others who were hungry.

Throughout this time after his kidney transplant, he also remained an active and guiding member of the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) Chapter 23 community.

A common thing Cyril would say with respect to these topics was:

"Let's be up and doing."

It was a subtle nod to the poem A Psalm of Life by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. He had learned it in his youth and often quoted what he called "the good parts."

A man like Cyril, born in the late 1930s, might leave someone wondering where that education came from.

This is what helped make him who he became.

Cyril was educated. Early in life he attended school in the Bahamas. The British Crown oversaw the educational system there, and students received a rigorous education.

This stood in stark contrast to the school system he later encountered in Florida, where books donated to segregated schools had pages torn out.

Fortunately, Cyril did not simply "walk through the schoolhouse," as he was found to say. He would often then say:

"Once you learn something, they can never take it away from you."

In the last couple of years, he was known to say:

"I don't know how much time I have left, but I am going to do everything I can to help people until I can't."

This was not just something he said. It was true.

He was on the phone during his final weeks continuing this work—coordinating, contacting, and connecting resources throughout the Pacific Northwest to better help veterans.

…

Cyril was in a fragile state.

All his systems were delicate.

Getting him into the hospital at Harborview gave him access to some of, if not the best care available in the nation.

The staff of doctors, nurses, and supporters without titles made it possible to connect with him as he walked forward into uncertainty.

His body was unstable due to ongoing complications with his lungs.

Ultimately, when his body went to meet that challenge of infection, it overwhelmed the stability of his bodily systems.

Over the course of days, he was responsive but less engaged from day to day.

Relying on rest and recovery more so than connection and conversation.

Regardless, he had friends and family show up during this time to be with him in voice, comfort, and ultimately, closure.

He wasn't struggling at the end because he was comforted in his wishes to continue forward without artificial support.

Through concern for his wishes, the doctors and staff helped him have a fighting chance.

This means that they supported the effort to maintain a pacemaker and administer his medications to provide his body with everything it could need to sustain itself.

The doctors found that after less than 24 hours of this approach, his overall stability was largely supported by the oxygen and the pacemaker.

Cyril's direction was to never prolong what he could not sustain.

His wife and nephew were in his company as he quietly relaxed into that reality.

Pain was not perceived or felt.

Loss and grief are different, though, and will walk with us until we find comfort that he has found a transition that matched his wishes.

…

Cyril loved reading. Had an incredible mind. Owned his mistakes when he could. And tried to improve things around him as best he could.

He will be missed and remembered.

Please share memories, photos, and condolences on his guestbook, located below.

- Care Entrusted to Emmick Family Funeral Home -