James Arnold Miller

INDIANAPOLIS – James Arnold Miller, 74, died of acute myeloid leukemia on Saturday, February 9, 2019 at St. Vincent Hospice. Jim was born on March 21, 1944 in Great Falls, Montana to James Andrew Miller and Gladys Wimer Miller. As a child in a military family, he lived in many parts of the U.S. and abroad, graduating from high school in Argentina. He received bachelor’s, master’s, and PhD degrees in international relations from UCLA and American University. He served in the U.S. Air Force from 1967 to 1979, and was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for his service in Vietnam, where he was a counterintelligence officer. In 1979, he established a consulting firm, Interaction Systems, Inc., in suburban Washington, D.C., and until his retirement in 2014, provided analytical and conference-organizing services to numerous government and related agencies. Areas of focus included US-Russia relations, energy security, homeland security, and terrorism, all topics on which he compiled innumerable detailed reports.
Jim brought similar academic rigor to his hobbies: After years of meticulous research, he published “Hitler’s Orders of Battle,” a book detailing key commanders, headquarters, and troop movements of Germany and its allies during World War II, and continued this research until his death. He maintained a detailed database of his extensive rock and roll music collection, rating every song; the Rolling Stones were well represented in his top 100. Even at the gym, where Jim especially enjoyed shooting baskets, he kept records on shot percentages and three-pointers.
Jim is survived by his loving wife, Daiva Simonis Miller, with whom he celebrated 50 years of marriage in April 2018. He is also survived by “favorite” daughter Giedra (Carmen) and granddaughters Ella and Lydia, “favorite” son Jonas (Christie) and grandsons Jaden and Jackson, sisters Drew (Will) and Loree, mother-in-law Marija, sister-in-law Vita (Steve), and numerous cousins, nieces, and nephews. He will be remembered for his intellectual achievements and remarkable organizational acumen, and acutely missed for his optimism, warmth, and sense of humor, which brought cheer to all and invariably left people feeling that they and he had shared something special.
Family and friends are invited to gather from 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm on Thursday, April 11 at Flanner-Buchanan—Washington Park North (2706 Kessler Boulevard W Drive). Mass of Christian Burial will be at 11:00 am on Friday, April 12 at St. Monica Catholic Church (6131 Michigan Road). Interment will be at 11:00 am on Tuesday, April 16 at Our Lady of Peace cemetery (9001 Haverstick Road). Memorial donations may be made to Catholic Relief Services or Catholic Charities of Indianapolis.