James Northey Miller, 84, of 585 Sunset Road, Waterloo, died at his home early morning Sunday, May 7, 2006.

He was born July 14, 1921, in Waterloo, son of Herman C. and Mary Northey Miller. On Dec. 29, 1953, Jim married Doris Pauline Cooper at Christ Episcopal Church in Waterloo.

He graduated from West Waterloo High School in 1939 and received a Bachelor of Arts in economics from the University of Iowa in 1943, where he was a member of the Sigma Chi Fraternity. Following college, Jim served in the U.S. Army Signal Corps during World War II. He then completed a year at the University of Iowa College of Law, where he joined the Phi Delta Phi Legal Fraternity. Upon his father’s death, Jim left his law studies to return to Waterloo, becoming president and owner of the Miller Agency, an insurance agency founded by his grandfather, Hermann Miller, in 1912, and subsequently run by his father, Herman Miller. Jim ran the Miller Agency until his death.

Jim was a member of Lodge No. 290 of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks for 58 years, and a long-time member of the Waterloo Rotary Club. During his tenure as chairman of the Waterloo Riverfront Commission, he was instrumental in establishing a number of parks, including the Herman C. Miller Park in Waterloo and the Cedar River walkways.

He is survived by his wife, Doris; daughter, Amy Elizabeth and her husband Ken Lockard of Cedar Falls; daughter, Mary Sarah and her husband Larry Liebscher of Waterloo; daughter, Laura Jane Miller and her husband Richard Sommer of Cambridge, Mass.; son, James Northey Miller Jr. and his wife Adele of Arlington, Va.; daughter, Victoria Sue Miller of Los Angeles; and 19 grandchildren.

Jim was preceded in death by his parents; his grandson, Zachary; and his brother, Herman C. “Hap” Miller III.