Gregg Hamilton Miller

Gregg Hamilton Miller, a family man, social worker, and proud member of the Bloomington, IN community, died on Tuesday, December 31, 2024, at Methodist Hospital in downtown Indianapolis. He was 65. 

After a year and a half of battling Parkinson’s and various other complications, he died peacefully surrounded by loved ones. His wife of 40 years, Malinda Lee Aston, his daughters Kristen Aston Cruzata and Kelsey Aston Miller, as well as his lifelong best friend Lane Thomas Schmidt, were at his bedside. 

Gregg was born on March 17, 1959, in Indianapolis, the oldest son of Merle Hamilton Miller Jr. and Johanna Wallin Moser Miller. Gregg graduated from Broad Ripple High School in 1977 and started his college education at Murray State University in Murray, KY. Three years in, he transferred to Indiana University in Bloomington to finish his degree and be closer to his future wife, Malinda. He returned to school to get a Master of Social Work from IU in 2015. The friends Gregg and Malinda made during college, both at Murray State and IU, have remained deeply present in their lives.

After finishing college, Gregg worked delivering newspapers for the Indiana Daily Student, picking up the papers — and often his girlfriend Malinda — from the newsroom after it closed each day. After a decades-long career as a social worker for local organizations and the State of Indiana, in retirement he revisited driving as a campus bus driver for IU. During the many phases of his life, he helped countless families, children, and individuals find the social services — and bus routes — they needed to build a better life for themselves. 

For his daughters, Gregg chaperoned many overnight school trips, missed hardly any of their sporting events, came to (but may have slept through) many dance recitals, and was always steady behind the wheel of a car or boat for family weekends in Culver, IN and holiday trips to Key West, FL. 

Gregg enjoyed waterskiing, tennis, shows that featured Tom Selleck, radio programs like Car Talk, sending postcards from his travels, and a diverse selection of music, whether live or from his record player.

Gregg donated blood whenever possible, voted in every election — including from Bloomington hospital this past November — and volunteered frequently. He was known to give thoughtful gifts, like fire extinguishers for friends when they bought houses. Never one to shy away from a strong opinion or a brightly printed Hawaiian shirt, he was revered for his clear-eyed commitment to living and loving in the best possible way.

Gregg is survived by his wife, Malinda Lee Aston; daughters, Kristen Aston Cruzata and Kelsey Aston Miller; brothers, Eric Wallin Miller (Lori) and Thomas Griggs Miller; sister-in-law, Happy Feliz Aston (Leonardo); aunt, Terry Ann Mumford (Lewis); uncle, Lester Clarence Miller (Amy); along with many nieces, nephews, extended family members, and friends.

A private event in his honor is planned for March in Bloomington, IN. Donations in his name can be sent to Beacon or to the donor’s local homeless shelter.