BLACK RIVER, St Elizabeth — There were glowing tributes for former St James North Western Member of Parliament (MP) and legal luminary Carl Miller during the thanksgiving service for his life at St John’s Anglican Church in Black River, St Elizabeth, on Saturday.

Miller died in Black River on Tuesday, December 17. He became MP in 1989 and served two terms up to 1997 for the People’s National Party (PNP).

Miller was mostly remembered for his unwavering support for family and his life of distinguished advocacy for justice.

His sister, Dr Doreen Miller Diagne, described her sibling’s love for family as steadfast and enduring, and reminded his children that “your father loved you dearly”.

“Draw from that reservoir of love. Draw from it often,” she advised.

“Carl’s love was expansive, and it included biological as well as citizen family. For Carl, family transcended biological or genetic boundaries. Wherever he went he was able to bond with people and create family. He was aware that his family extended beyond two parents and three siblings. He demonstrated that we would have to share him with the world. Family included people outside of his home,” she added.

Dr Miller Diagne recounted an occasion when her brother, who was still a primary school student, spent time reading the newspaper to an adult male.

“When he was in primary school my mom sent him on an errand. Two hours passed and he did not return, and I was sent to locate him. When I found him he was sitting on a ledge on the wall of the police station — he was reading the Daily Gleaner to a man who was seated next to him. Carl was attending to one of the guiding principles to his life,” she reflected.

In bringing tribute Carl’s daughter, Kara “Kayjay” Miller, suggested that “one of the things that endeared Carl Miller to people was that his heart was so big. His definition of family was huge”.

Former Prime Minister P J Patterson, whose tribute was read by Senator Janice Allen, also highlighted Miller’s deep commitment to family.

“His departure leaves not just an empty space in the exercise of building a democracy but an aching void in the heart of those who knew him as a superb attorney, dedicated public servant, and above all, a man of unwavering commitment to his children,” Patterson said.

Former president of the People’s National Party, Dr Peter Phillips stressed that throughout his life the centre of Miller’s focus was to give service to the “impoverished and underprivileged”.

“He worked in the Legal Aid Clinic and often made his skills available to those who were most urgently in need,” Dr Phillps said, adding that Miller concentrated on contribution to justice and not the accumulation of wealth and the search for personal reward.

Dr Phillips noted that as Miller’s reputation in law developed, he also stepped up his public advocacy on behalf of the disenfranchised, which made him an obvious candidate for political representation.

Members of the legal fraternity, such as King’s Councel Langston Sibblies and Clayton Morgan, chairman of the Montego Bay Legal Aid Council, also hailed Miller as a champion advocate for the poor.

“He was indeed a poor man’s lawyer. I have never seen him charge a litigant a fee,” Morgan said.

Miller’s association transcended political borders, as was reflected on by his long-time friend, Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett whose tribute was read by one of the departed man’s daughters.

“He was a true friend whose life was one of service. The country has lost a true son and I have lost a long-time friend,” Bartlett said.

The thanksgiving service was attended by a number of politicians from both sides of the political fence, including Deputy Prime Minister Dr Horace Chang; minister of state in the Office of the Prime Minister Homer Davis; Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries Floyd Green; Senator Charles Sinclair Jr; former Government ministers KD Knight and AJ Nicholson and Julian Robinson, among others.

Custos rotulorum for the parish of St James Bishop Conrad Pitkin, who also gave a tribute, and Reverend Hartley Perrin, custos of Westmoreland, were also in attendance.

Dr Doreen Miller Diagne bringing tribute to her brother Carl Miller during his thanksgiving service at St John’s Anglican Church in Black River, St Elizabeth, on Saturday.