John L. Miller

John Lawrence Miller passed away on Saturday, September 6th at the age of 81.

Born in Green Bay, Wisconsin, on September 12, 1943, John was the oldest child of the late Winifred Anne Ryan and Lawrence Edward Miller. He is also preceded in death by his brothers Robert, David, and Steven, and his former wife and children’s mother, Virginia Anne Miller (née Becker).

John died peacefully at home, surrounded by his family, after a lengthy battle with Alzheimer’s. Throughout those years, he remembered and remained aware of his family and friends, and of the constant, loving care provided by Carol, his wife of 36 years.

John is survived by his beloved wife Caroline, his son Lawrence (Lisa), his daughter Jennifer Dunn (Robert), and his cherished granddaughters Grace (Dunn), Ava and Emma. He is further survived by his siblings Michael (Denise), Thomas (Sharon), Mary, Margaret Edelstein (Jeff), Patrick (Jill), and Daniel (Kathy), and by many nieces and nephews.

John attended Marquette University High School (’61). After high school, John worked in commercial construction and as a produce manager while attending the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee, where he received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees.

John dedicated most of his professional working life to Goodwill Industries of Southeastern Wisconsin and Metropolitan Chicago. He had a deep appreciation for the history and mission of Goodwill. John was committed to helping individuals with disabilities and disadvantages to become self-sufficient and productive. John championed the core value of Goodwill – that work is a defining quality of life – and he believed everyone should have access to it. John truly personified the role of servant leader.

John retired in 2012 after 37 years with Goodwill Industries. Under his leadership, the organization expanded from serving 880 individuals in 1982 (the year he became President), to 53,355 individuals served in 2012. During his career, the organization placed thousands of individuals into jobs, mentored numerous Goodwill executives, and championed leadership development. With John’s guidance, the Milwaukee Goodwill became the leading provider of workforce development and training in the country.

John was inducted into the Goodwill Industries International Hall of Fame in 2017. During his career, he received the Kenneth K. King Award for Management Excellence, the P.J. Trevethan Award for Training and Development, and the J.D. Robins Jr. Distinguished Career award. John was also honored with the NISH President’s Award and the NISH Milton Cohen Leadership Award, the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee School of Education Alumni Award, and the Mayor’s Business Excellence Award for Workforce Diversity. He served on nearly 20 state, regional, national and civic organizations in his years of employment. John’s remarkable and lasting impact on Goodwill Industries and the city of Milwaukee was recognized on October 8, 2012, which former Mayor Barrett officially declared to be “John L. Miller Day” in Milwaukee.

John’s leadership and service in his working life were surpassed only by his dedication to and love for his family. A deeply loved husband, father, grandfather, brother, brother-in-law and uncle, John meant the world to his family.

John shepherded both his children through major illnesses, inexhaustible and reassuring in his support. In his own illness, John never complained or became bitter. He confounded his doctors, family and caregivers with his remarkable strength, patience and stoicism.

John lived a well-read, successful life, marked by love and compassion, dignity and humor, hard work and charity. He was a life-long learner and passionate about reading, everything from classic and popular novels to sociology and business literature. He loved music, poetry, bad puns, and the Green Bay Packers. When the Packers won the Super Bowl in 1997, John authored a memo on behalf of all the Wisconsin Goodwill executives to “Less Fortunate Colleagues” entitled, “Restoration of Order in the Universe”.

In his final days, John’s family shared memories and laughter, tears and comfort while congregating at his bedside. This was John’s parting gift to his loved ones and the embodiment of the love and family spirit he fostered in us all.

Although this chapter has ended, John’s story will continue forever in the infinite ways that he improved the lives of so many.

The family will receive friends at Fox River Congregational Church, N34W23575 Capitol Drive, Pewaukee, Wisconsin at 1:00 PM on Sunday, September 28, 2025. Services will begin at 2:00 PM.

In lieu of flowers, the family welcomes memorials to Goodwill Industries of Southeastern Wisconsin, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, the Medical College of Wisconsin Memory Program, or the UW Health Carbone Cancer Center (please designate the patient experience program).