Dabney Miller

Dabney Nevelle Miller, 81, passed away unexpectedly at his home February 5, 2014. He is survived by his wife of 53 years, Alta May Woodworth Miller; his children, Warren (Jackie) Miller of Winchester and Lynn (Alex) Miller Serrano of Springfield, VA, and George (Jennifer) Miller of Charles Town, WV; grandchildren, Stephen, Jeffrey, Marta, Dylan, and Jared; and nieces, Cindy and Lisa. He was born on December 25, 1932 in Topping, VA to William Dabney and Ruth Blake Miller. He grew up in a community of watermen and farmers on Locklies Creek and the Rappahannock River. As an only child, he cherished his time with his cousins. At Middlesex High School, he was a three-sport athlete and graduated in 1951. He earned a BS Degree in Biology at William and Mary College in 1955. He served in the US Army for two years in France where he met his future wife Alta. In 1959, following his return to Virginia, Dabney and Alta were married. They moved to Charlottesville and in 1961, he received a Masters of Education from the University of Virginia under a National Science Foundation Grant. He took from UVA new ways of teaching science and the growing field of ecology. For fifteen years he taught the sciences in public high schools with his last assignment as the Chair of the Science Department at Fort Hunt High School in Fairfax, VA. Living in close proximity to Washington, DC, he became strongly aware of the many challenges facing urban youth. In 1972, he left the public school system, and with the support of the DC based Church of the Savior, became the founding director of the FLOC (For Love of Children) Wilderness School, Strasburg, VA. The year-round camp school served boys in need of assistance. He remained a member of the FLOC school management board through 1988 leading the construction of an education center and providing onsite support after the school was relocated to WV. During this time, Dabney moved his family to Shepherdstown, WV where they lived in an intentional Christian community with several families who established the Rolling Ridge Study Retreat Community in the Blue Ridge mountains. In his retirement years, Dabney returned to Locklies Creek. He was glad to be living in his childhood home, which he had lovingly restored and to be involved in the community in which he was raised. He was a member of Harmony Grove Baptist Church where he served as a deacon and Sunday School teacher at church and at the Grey’s Point Campground. He taught a recovery program at the Gloucester County Jail and assisted the participants as they re-entered society. Most recently, he participated in the Syringa Fellowship that provides an alternative setting for Christian worship. He had a life-long interest in exploring the connections between the sciences and theology. He deeply loved his wife and they were a great team. He took pride in his grandchildren and shared with them his love for growing food, taking care of the land, and being on the water. With them, he followed their sports, built tree houses and crafted model planes. His family will dearly miss him. A service of celebration of his life will be held at 11:30 am on Saturday, February 15, 2014 at Harmony Grove Baptist Church, Topping, Virginia (Tel: 804-238-2464). The service and interment of ashes will be preceded by visitation at 10:00 am and followed by a luncheon at the church for all those attending. Memorial contributions may be given to the Harmony Grove Baptist Church Benevolence Fund, P.O. Box 138, Topping, VA 23169; or the For Love of Children (FLOC) Outdoor Education Center, 1763 Columbia Road, NW, Washington, DC 20009.