Death of Pittsfield's Gerard Miller

It is with great sadness that Mass Retirees announces the death of our long-time Western Mass. Vice President Gerard “Jerry” Miller. Jerry was a retired Pittsfield Fire Lieutenant and chairman of the Pittsfield Retirement Board.

It is with great sadness that Mass Retirees announces the death of our long-time Western Mass. Vice President Gerard “Jerry” Miller. Jerry was a retired Pittsfield Fire Lieutenant and chairman of the Pittsfield Retirement Board.

Jerry Miller also served as both a past president and secretary of the Mass. Association of Contributory Retirement Systems (MACRS) during his long public service career. He and his wife Joan were a constant presence at all MACRS conferences and events for over three decades. He was one of the longest serving retirement board members, having first been elected to the Pittsfield Board in 1980. Jerry took great pride in his dedicated involvement in a wide range of community and statewide organizations.

“Jerry was Mr. Berkshire County and our key go-to guy in Western Mass. for many years. You’d be hard pressed to find someone more dedicated to serving public retirees and active employees than Jerry,” said former Association President Ralph White.

Gerard E. Miller
1937 – 2015 PITTSFIELD Gerard E. Miller, age 77, died Friday evening at the Berkshire Medical Center Born in Pittsfield, Oct. 11, 1937, he was the son of the late Andrew J. and Alice E. Ford Miller. He attended the former Pomeroy and St. Joseph’s Grammar Schools. A 1956 graduate of Pittsfield High School, he enlisted in the U.S. Army where he served until his discharge from the Army Reserves. He was awarded his Associates Degree in Fire Science from Berkshire Community College in 1995. He was appointed a provisional firefighter for the City of Pittsfield by then Mayor Raymond L. Haughey with his appointment becoming permanent the following year. He was stationed at all the various city fire stations throughout his career. Jerry was elevated to the position of Lieutenant in 1973 and served as the head of the Fire Prevention Bureau for the last ten years of his career before retiring in 2002. A long time communicant of the former St. Teresa’s Church, he served on the Parish Council. His personal hobbies include hunting and fishing and tending to his very large garden. Among his many interests, both locally and statewide, he served as a member for 30 years and as Chairman of the Pittsfield Retirement Bureau. Jerry was a member of the Mass. Retired Contributory Association many of which, he served as both the President and Secretary. A Corporator of the Boys and Girls Club of Pittsfield, he served as Chairman of the Traffic Commission for the City for 12 years. Mr. Miller served for 18 years as the 1st president of Local #2647 of the International Association of Fire Fighters. Additionally, he served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Mass. Fire Prevention Association which is located in Lynn, Mass. Jerry served as Chair of the Board of the MyCom Federal Credit Union for several years and also served on the Board of Wild Acres. Jerry served as the Secretary for the Berkshire County Labor Council for many years and was named the Council’s Labor Man of the Year in 1986. In addition to all the years of public service and volunteerism, his genuine interest in others fueled his interactions amongst family, friends, brother firefighters as well as other public servants. His passion for food and dining out also served to highlight his friendliness whether here, on a state level, and certainly while vacationing. Most of all, he was a Firefighter to the core. He and his wife, the former Joan M. Cullen, who died Sept. 14, 2014, were married in St. Teresa’s Church Nov. 21,1964. He is survived by four sons, Timothy M. Miller and his wife, Sarah, of Pittsfield and their family, Alyssa, Michael, Norah, and Matthew, Gerard E. Miller, and his wife, Elaine, of Tyringham and their family, Samantha, Hannah, and Jordan, Patrick J. Miller of Danvers, Mass. and his family, Quinn and Olivia, and Andrew J. Miller and his wife, Paula, of Lee and their children, Halle and Ellie; his daughter, Mrs. Mary E. Kinne and her husband, Chris, of Lee and their family Meghan, Colin and Aubrey; his brother, Andrew J. Miller of Lawrence, Mass.; and a great-grandchild, Landon. He was predeceased by his two sisters, Margaret Benjamin, and Eleanor Beitzel. FUNERAL NOTICE: Calling hours at the DEVANNY-CONDRON FUNERAL HOME will be Tuesday from 3 – 7. Funeral services will be held Wednesday morning at 9:15 a.m. from the funeral home followed with a Liturgy of Christian Burial at 10 a.m. at St. Charles Church with the Rev. Peter A. Gregory, pastor, officiating. Burial will follow in St. Joseph’s Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to either the Pittsfield Boys & Girls Club or HospiceCare in the Berkshires, both in care of the funeral home. – See more at: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/berkshire/obituary.aspx?pid=174981888#sthash.XIAehqQc.dpuf

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