Surely one of a kind, Mr Miller was. RIP my good friend....
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Surely one of a kind, Mr Miller was. RIP my good friend....
WOW. RIP Mr. Miller. Thanks for all the effort you out into this sport.
Very sad news. I just read this few moments ago, when the sun started a new day here in Italy.
Condolences to his family, friends and loved ones.
His posts were interesting and informative, it will be a shortage of it.
I'm deeply saddened to hear this awful news. Without his knowledge and exceptional skills I would not be able to enjoy straight razor shaves as I do. There is something wonderful about someone who is truly a master of his craft. My condolences to his family.
RIP Mr Miller.
My condolences to his family and all his friends. We surely lost someone with great knowledge, who was always open to discuss and share the information he got.
Rest in peace Neil!
Someone called Neil one of the pillars of SRP: never a truer word has been said. Knowledge and authority marked every post he made. And a touch of humour as well that made his posts such a pleasure to read. Farewell Neil, we'll miss you greatly.
My Condolences,
Truly sad news, I enjoyed reading Neil's posts very much.
Hello,
I am Kim and Neil's niece. I found this forum and thread last night after looking on Neil's website and seeing his thanks for your support. I can see that I had completely underestimated Neil's following in the straight razor world and the wide appreciation for his craftmanship. It's been really lovely to read the messages - I think that Kim has seen some of them but I will pass these on regardless. I'm so glad that Neil's work, advice and humour will go on being appreciated for a long time to come!
I know from experience how close an online community can become so I'm also very sorry for your loss.
Jade
Rest in Piece Neil Miller......our loss is heavens gain.
Deepest condolences.
A true gentleman in a world full of push and shove. Thoughts and prayers to his family. He will be missed.
The Shaving world will miss him, A great loss of knowledge!
Condolences to his Family & Friends!
RIP Neil. We had a few conversations in regards to strop making, and those times will be cherished all the more with his passing. Sorry to hear of his loss.
Mick
He will be deeply missed among our little coterie for his breadth of knowledge and wit.
My condolences to Neil's friends and family. RIP.
Rest in Peace Neil.
My condolences to the family, his willingness to share his vast knowledge will be greatly missed.
Hello to All,
I have just heard :(
I am so sad : my heart goes out to Neil's family.
Best regards
Russ
This is very sad news.
I found Niel an absolute gent to deal with.
My Heart goes out to his family & friends.
Rest easy mate.
Paul
my condolences. he was a great member of the shaving community
I pass this email along from Yorkshire, England:
"...I & the shaving community at large will miss him, his great knowledge & participation.
I dont know if you are in a position but if you could please pass on my condolences to his family.
Tony Holmes.
Vintage Straight Razors..."
I will miss neils honesty and wit as much as I will miss the knowledge he brought to the forum. My condolences to his family.
Truly a sad time for our community. We have lost a great man. Forever missed for his historical knowledge and tutelage. A fine gentleman always searching for truth. I am deeply moved by his passing and extend my condolences to his family. Rest in peace Mr. Miller.
I don't know the details of Neil's death, but it sounds as though he was quite ill for the last six months or so. What is striking to me, is that six days before his death he was still posting very good information regarding tanning processes of leather. I doubt that I would stay that engaged under the same circumstances.
Hats off to you Neil.
My sincerest condolences to his family and friends.
Neil, your wit and manner of speech will be sorely missed.
Not living in pain and suffering is hardly a condolence.
May your loved ones find peace and solace in knowing the width and depth of useful knowledge you posted here will be treasured.
Rest In Peace Neil. We're gonna miss you...
He helped me with info on some old razors I found. He had the only knowledge on them and took time to help me out. He will be missed.
R.I.P.
May he rest in peace.
Condolences to his family.
He was always good at sharing his knowledge.
He is missed.
Oh my very sad to read. May you rest in peace Neil.
Very sad news for his family, my he rest in peace
His generosity with his knowledge was truly outstanding.
He will be missed by many in the shaving community.
One of the good guys has passed on, but left a legacy that will last many years.
RIP Neil Miler
Very sad to hear this!! You'll be sorely missed here on SRP!
Heartfelt thoughts and prayers to the many friends and the family of Neil!!
Neil....Well Done!!
Rest in Peace!
It is with much sadness, I read this morning about Neal’s passing. I was always amazed at the breath of his knowledge, in awe of his talent and his willingness to share. I will miss his razor wit, pun intended, his interesting and well written words and his sly humor.
Though, I never had the opportunity to meet Neal, in person, I feel privileged to at least know a little of him. It was truly my pleasure and I will miss him.
This forum will be a little less bright, without Neal.
God Bless. His family is in my prayers….
Very sad to hear that news,
Condolences to his family.
A great contributer to the forum, with very informative and well wrote threads, as many have said a great loss indeed.
Just saw this today. How old was he?
Unfortunately I didn't know him, but I know he contributed a lot to the forum and helped answer some questions I had. He was certainly a wealth of information and a mentor to many. Hopefully his family is doing okay during this difficult time. Will pray for them.
Please find the below message from Neil's wife - Kim. She is very grateful for your support to Neil over the last few months which makes very interesting reading! Kim is slowly picking up Neil's emails for those who have sent message directly to Neil's email address - I'm sure she'll reply to these in due course but I'm sure you can imagine there's a lot to sort out at the moment!
Thank you for all your kind words. Neil passed away on 08 July 2015 in Southend University Hospital despite valiant efforts of the nursing staff. Much of his work has been left unfinished and everywhere I go I seem to be presented with reminders of Neil as his work is lying in every room just as he left it.
Neil would no doubt have been surprised and delighted at the attention his death has caused. Myself, I am not surprised at the response to Dave’s original post. Neil was all of the things that people have said and more. I am apt to write long-winded essays on most subjects (rather than ‘get to the point’ as Neil would say) and my only regret is that Neil is gone and cannot respond to you all personally, which I have no doubt he would have given the chance. Your words have bought much solace to his family who are immensely proud of him (not that he would believe it, being his own worst critic).
Neil was, as may will know, a plain talker & no doubt his sharp wit (or tongue at times) will have ruffled a few feathers, but he genuinely believed that if someone was wrong he had a duty to the past craftsman to ensure the correct information was out there and he made no apology for that (or anything else now I come to think of it).
Our house is as Neil left it- an Aladdin’s cave of ‘stuff’, in little order and with no direction. He knew he was ill but preferred to work rather than face the end with any order. He was a perfectionist and an artist first, which left little time for mundane things like filing or writing a will. Instead, he finished off some orders that had been lying around for months and put someone straight on a few points!!
I can honestly say that life will never be the same again and despite my sadness and the very difficult end I know that Neil is now at peace and is pain free. He was given an extra 18 months since his initial shave with death (no pun intended) but has spent much of this time in bed and in considerable pain; for which he refused to take painkillers for fear this would worsen his condition.
Neil was nothing if not frank and we had many conversations during this time but none involved what would happen should he die and I now face many challenges I too refused to accept should this sad day come.
Whilst I can deal with the most practical things I am not technical and despite Neil’s efforts to force me into the 21st century in regard to PC’s, tablets (in fact anything technical); I am now forced to face the possibility that I was completely reliant on Neil in this regard (and many others) and when things start going wrong I will now have to either learn or live in a tent!! His shop and website will remain as is until such time as I can find someone to finally close up. I expect I will have to learn how to apologise graciously (something Neil was not good at) when I learn how to refund duplicate orders or because I can’t find the items he has listed!
Neil always threw himself into anything he was interested in almost to the point of obsession, craving knowledge which he was able to transfer to real life projects. He was a perfectionist and never satisfied with own output (which was bloody annoying from my perspective as it was better than anyone else could do even with years of practice).
I have been asked which charities Neil supported in order that his friends could make donation in his memory. Neil was a donor to Essex Air Ambulance and supported the work they do, especially in responding to road traffic accidents involving motorcyclists. Donations can be made to Essex Air Ambulance via https://www.justgiving.com/Kim-Miller69
Anyway, I am sure he is looking down on you all (or up probably) happy that he made an impression and his work is so much appreciated, with a pie a pint and bloody huge cigar (just 3 of the many things he has been robbed of for the last 18 months).
Neil’s funeral will be held in Colchester, Essex next Friday (17 July 2015). If anyone would like to attend or would like more information please do not hesitate to contact me by private message (via Jade).
Kind regards to you all,
Kim x
Tom, it was very clear that he felt a strong connection with you too through the posts and banter you both enjoyed. You could tell you were both good friends.
Although I only knew Neil here and not well I had a lot of respect for his honesty and ability to "keep it real". You could also tell that on the other side of it all he cared deeply for people and had a big heart. What a loss for SRP as he had information from the "other side of the pond" that very few others ", if any, seemed to know.
"It's an honor to feel pain in grief, for where there is pain there is also deep love"
Adios old friend.
Like Tom so wonderfully stated, Neil was a treasure. I enjoyed many visits with him via e-mails and we recounted many similar adventures we'd had in life.
He will be sorely missed.
His pain and suffering is over. I pray for his family and wife.
Requiescat In Pace.
Thanks, Tom.
RIP Neil.
We remember you.