James Richey Conklin Miller (Rich)

August 10, 1933-March 14, 2026

Fort Belvoir, Virginia - James Richey Conklin Miller (Rich), passed away peacefully at age 92 on March 14, 2026, at his home in Fort Belvoir, Virginia. He is survived by his son Michael RC Miller, his daughter, Lori Ann Miller, and his sister Patricia Ann McGill. He was predeceased by his wife Mary Ann Miller and brother Dyson RC Miller. Rich entered The United States Military Academy at West Point in 1951 at the age of 17 and graduated 22nd in his class of 1955.

Rich grew up in a peripatetic military family that included a tour in the Panama Canal Zone during World War II. There, he roamed the jungle, hunted with friends and developed the appetite for adventure that never left him. Returning to Falls Church, Virginia, he completed high-school and secured appointment to the United States Military academy.

Rich entered West Point in 1951 where he proved as capable on the field as in the classroom, lettering in football and lacrosse. A chance evening in Ann Arbor after Army beat Michigan in 1954 led him to Mary Ann Baker; he proposed soon after, and she became his partner in everything that followed. Together they raised their children, Michael and Lori, alongside a demanding Army career, with graduate studies in nuclear and civil engineering at Michigan.

His military service took him to Vietnam, where he evaluated airfield sites, back to West Point as a teacher, to command roles in Korea and strategic assignments in the Pentagon. He rose to Colonel, earned a Doctor of Science, and finished his Army career as Chicago District Engineer before stepping seamlessly into the corporate world with United States Gypsum and Wiss, Janney, Elstner, and Associates.

A love of sailing that began at the West Point sailing club continued throughout his life. He bought his first sailboat Yeti in 1972 and sailed Chesapeake and Lake Michigan until he found his dream boat Eagle in England in 1984. After extensive outfitting, Rich and Mary Ann set off aboard Eagle in 1990 and spent the next ten years sailing 40,000 miles through the Caribbean and beyond—into the Windward and Leeward Islands, as far south as Venezuela and Bonaire, and onward to South America’s interior and the Andes. They weathered hurricanes, crossed long passages, and gathered stories wherever they went.

Back in Virginia, the now “Idle Rich” continued to travel widely, founded Sail the Seas, LLC, to teach sailing and navigation while serving 17 years in the Coast Guard Auxiliary with the same mix of precision and good humor that defined his life. In later years, he and Mary Ann settled at The Fairfax at Belvoir Woods among fellow veterans and adventurers.

Rich had the rare ability to carry achievement lightly. He was drawn to people, quick with a story, and happiest in motion—whether commanding a battalion, crossing open water, or holding court among friends. Life, to him, was something to be engaged with fully, and enjoyed along the way.

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