J. Todd Miller, traveled extensively

J. Todd Miller, 68, of Beachwoods, Lewes, passed away Saturday, April 12, 2014, at his home. He was born Aug. 14, 1945, in Washington, D.C.

Todd was predeceased by his life partner, John Byron Kleminsky. He is survived by his son, Todd Adam and his wife Michele Frame-Miller; his grandson, Kevin Nolan Miller of Chicago, Ill.; as well as his one brother, Robert Miller.

Following graduation from the University of Maryland in 1968 he joined Aetna Life & Casualty and was appointed brokerage general agent of their Washington, D.C. office in 1979. He founded J. Todd Miller, CLU & Associates, a general insurance firm, in 1982. Todd joined the firm in 1995, and it operates today as The Miller & Shook Companies of Washington, D.C.

As a result of his lifelong fascination with the Eastern Shore and the Delaware beaches, Todd and Byron built their first beach home in Lewes in 1980. In 1981, they founded beachaire, a small commuter airline offering flights between Washington’s National Airport and Rehoboth’s airport. The air traffic controllers' strike in August 1981 forced the small new airline to cease operations.

In 1984, beachaire reorganized and became BeachAire Environments, a builder of custom homes and developer of Beachwoods and Beachwoods II at Lewes. Todd retired in 1997 and shared his time between homes in South Beach, Fla., Washington, D.C. and his beloved Beachwoods. He traveled extensively, visiting over 30 countries, gardened and enjoyed every moment with his grandson and his golden retriever Joshua.

A public viewing will be held from 5 to 8 p.m., Thursday, April 24, at Parsell Funeral Homes & Crematorium, Atkins-Lodge Chapel, 16961 Kings Highway, Lewes. Interment will be private. A Celebration of Todd’s Life will be announced later in the spring.

Memorial contributions in Todd’s memory may be made to CAMP Rehoboth, 37 Baltimore Ave., Rehoboth Beach, DE 19971 and/or Goldheart Golden Retriever Rescue Inc., PO Box 34, Phoenix, MD 21134.