Harry George Miller

Harry was born in 1941 in Waukesha, Wisconsin. After high school, he graduated with a diploma from the University of Stockholm, followed by a bachelor’s degree from Carroll College and graduate degrees from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He married Mary Frances Shugrue from Lincoln, Nebraska, in 1964. They have five children, fifteen grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.

Harry’s academic career directly involved his family in creating a global network of friendships spanning 45 years as a university administrator, international consultant, founder and president of an NGO, employee of the CIA, and self-proclaimed artist. He and his family lived overseas for periods as he worked in places including Central America, Southeast Asia, Europe, the Middle East, China, Mongolia, and Africa. Agencies he worked with included foreign ministries, foreign universities, the United Nations, USAID, Red Crescent, Fulbright, Southeast Asian Ministers of Education, and international accreditation associations.

Throughout his career, Harry exemplified the transformative power of education and its potential to bridge cultures and foster global understanding.

Harry was a member of the Knights of Columbus at Saint Francis Xavier Church in Carbondale, Illinois. In 2005, Harry and Mary moved from Egypt to Spartanburg, South Carolina, becoming members of Saint Paul’s Apostle Catholic Church.

Harry is survived by his loving wife of 61 years, Mary Shugrue Miller of Spartanburg, South Carolina; his five children: Alicia Miller Erickson (Kurt) of Jefferson City, Missouri, Michael Miller (Lara) of Memphis, Tennessee, Anne Johnson (Don Biggs) of Carbondale, Illinois, Dede Mayor-Mora (Enrique) of Midlothian, Virginia, and Courtney Tuttle (Adam) of Oakland, New Jersey; and his fifteen grandchildren: Margaret Erickson (Joe Brown), Nell Erickson, Patrick, Peter, and Mary Miller, Zachary Johnson (Stephanie), Madeline Johnson, Emily Johnson (Evan Webb), Isabelle, Lucia, Gabriel, and Harry Mayor-Mora, and Taylor, Ava, and Charlotte Tuttle. He is also survived by one great-granddaughter, Willow Johnson; Penny Gierach, sister of Pewaukee, Wisconsin; and his sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Catherine (Denny) Topf of Windsor, Colorado, and Richard (Nancy) Shugrue of Denver, Colorado.

Harry was preceded in death by his parents, Ethel and Harry Miller.

Memorial Mass will be held at 3:00 PM on Friday, September 12, 2025 at St. Paul the Apostle Historic Catholic Church, 161 N Dean St, Spartanburg, SC 29302. A reception will follow at The Piedmont Club, 361 E Main St B, Spartanburg, SC 29302.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to Doctors without Borders (give.doctorswithoutborders.org) or Saint Paul the Apostle Catholic Church (161 North Dean Street, Spartanburg, SC 29302).