Denzil Henry Miller passed away on January 2nd, 2024, unexpectedly in Seattle, Washington. He was born on January 22nd, 1947, to Ruth and Hugh Miller in Wenatchee, Washington.
The second of two children. Education and service were important to Denzil over his entire life. He graduated from Eastmont High in 1965 and Washington State University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Marketing and Sales Management four years later.
After college, he would focus on his service to his country. He attended basic training at Fort Lewis and would further his military career in officer candidate school focusing in engineering and military intelligence. Once he graduated officer training school he was assigned to lead a section of the military intelligence branch in Fort Holabird, Maryland, overseeing hundreds of people both military and civilians and collaborating with most branches of the government.
After completing his service, Denzil returned to the Pacific Northwest to be closer to his friends and family. During this time, he took several jobs around the area, including logging and working as a grocery teller on Orcas Island, as well as fishing and crabbing out of Dutch Harbor, Alaska. During one bad fishing and crabbing season, Denzil found himself on Vashon Island. On Vashon, with his childhood friend Foss Miller, he would go on to start Pacific Research Laboratories (Sawbones), an innovative company that had a global reach in the development of technologies critical to advancing medical education and training.
Denzil was dedicated to his friends, family, and work and would regularly go out of his way to help and encourage others. At work, he was a pioneer in helping to advance the medical field and traveled the world talking about new technology and techniques. In his spare time, Denzil loved learning about history, collecting different geological specimens, experiencing cultures of the world, watching old westerns and being outdoors fishing or hunting.
Denzil is survived by his two sons Drayton and Denzil (Desirae); his granddaughters Izora, Ariauna and Isla, his brother Gerald Miller and his nephews Bret (Andrea) and Hugh (Nadia) Miller. A celebration of his life will be held later this summer.
