Dr. Aaron Miller
age 94, of Newton, died peacefully at home on Monday, October 10th. A respected physician and researcher for 38 years, he was a mentor to many hematologists in the Boston area and touched the lives of thousands of patients. In addition to his professional work, he was an avid tomato gardener, walker, and tennis player, playing well into his seventies.
Aaron was born in 1922 in Brooklyn, New York, the son of immigrants from Russia and Poland. He attended City College of New York where he played varsity basketball on the college’s nationally ranked team. He served in the Army during World War II and was a medic in the 30th Infantry Division, known as “Old Hickory”. He landed in Normandy five days after D-Day and saw action in France and Germany, including the Battle of the Bulge. He was awarded the Silver Star, the nation’s third highest military decoration for valor, a distinction that he humbly and self-effacingly referred to as “a mistake”.
After the war Aaron attended medical school at the University of Rochester, and completed his residency at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester and the Veteran’s Administration Hospital in Jamaica Plain. He practiced medicine at the VA Hospital for his entire career and also held a faculty appointment at Boston University School of Medicine.
In 1949 Aaron married Marilyn Barlin, also from Brooklyn. They met at the Laurels Hotel and Country Club in the Catskills where they both worked during the summer of 1943. She shared his passion for literature, music, movies. They spent many days walking in Newton with a special fondness for Crystal Lake, Bullough’s Pond, and the former Weeks Junior High School.
Dr. Miller was a hematologist and did important research on vitamin B12 absorption in the body, among other things. He was part of a research team at the VA that made many contributions to the fields of hematology and oncology.
Dr. Miller is survived by Marilyn, his wife of 67 years, his daughter Julie and her husband Paul Dansereau of Boston, his sister, Beatrice Donovan of Evanston, Illinois, as well as numerous nieces and nephews.
“In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Lewy Body Dementia Association or to Doctors Without Borders. A memorial service for Dr. Miller will be held at the First Parish of Watertown, 35 Church Street, Watertown, MA on Sunday, November 13 at 2:00 p.m. There will be a reception immediately following the service at the Miller residence in Newton.“