Harold A. Miller, 87, longtime summer resident of West Tisbury, died in Chicago, Ill., on June 15 after a long illness. Hal and his wife Ruth brought their young family to the Vineyard in the early 1950s, renting for several summers at Gay Head. They purchased the old Nancy Luce place in 1955, and for over four decades, they enjoyed the beauty of the Island and supported many community and conservation organizations on the Island. With a sparkle in his eye, Hal quickly befriended all who came in his path, and shone a light that all came to appreciate and treasure and over the years.

Born and raised in Lansing, Mich., Hal attended Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio, from which he graduated early in order to enlist in the U.S. Navy in 1942. He served as an officer aboard the destroyer escort and sub chaser USS Forster in the North Atlantic, Mediterranean and Pacific theatres. After his discharge from the Navy in 1946, Hal returned to Antioch College to work as a director of its co-op program, placing students in employment positions around the country as part of their education. It was at Antioch in 1946 that he met his future wife. Ruth Geitz Miller, whom he married in December of 1946.

In 1947 he began working for U.S. Steel as a personnel manager, and in 1956 moved to the Chrysler Corporation where he was head of personnel, charged with modernizing the company’s personnel organization. In 1958 Hal entered the fledgling field of management consulting where he helped develop modern methods of executive search, and later created the practice of executive audits.

For over 40 years, Hal and Ruth lived in Winnetka, Ill., where they were both active at the Winnetka Congregational Church. Hal served in many capacities, including usher, head of trustees, and head of the pulpit committee. He served on several boards in the Chicago area, including that of New Foundation Center Inc., which provides housing and other programs for the mentally ill.

From his childhood days of swimming, camping, fishing and canoeing in upper Michigan, Hal became an avid outdoorsman and explorer of life’s adventures. Early in their marriage, Ruth introduced Hal to the Vineyard where they spent several summers before purchasing their longtime summer cottage in 1955. On the Island and in the upper Midwest, Hal instilled in his family a love of the outdoors and a commitment to humanity’s duty to act as a steward of nature. He devoted his life to service to others, above all to his family: his wife Ruth, sons Douglas of Morton Grove, Ill., and Mark (Barbara M. Benedict) of West Hartford, Conn., daughter Christina Miller Greulich (Peter) of Northbrook, Ill., and grandchildren Evan Miller Greulich and Amy Christina Greulich.

A family service was held to honor Hal on June 18 in Glenview, Ill. Hal’s widow, Ruth Miller, continues to reside in long-term care at Bethany Terrace Nursing Centre, Morton Grove.

Memorial gifts may be sent to New Foundation Center, Inc., 444 W. Frontage Rd., Northfield, IL 60093. Condolences may be sent to Hal’s daughter, Christina Miller Greulich of Northbrook, Ill., or to Mark Miller, P.O. Box 663, West Tisbury, MA 02575.