CORNWALL, Ontario – When Jack Miller thinks back on the life of his father Farrand one thing comes to mind before anything else – his desire to help Cornwall.
Farrand Miller, a venerable Cornwall businessman who was also a “rock” of the local Jewish community, passed away at age 85 on Sunday.
Jack said the Miller family, his father, grandfather Julius and uncle Bernard in particular, helped cement the name in the Cornwall business and volunteer communities.
His mother Joyce was citizen of the year in the 1990s.
Julius Miller Furniture operated in the city for more than 50 years, with Farrand taking over along with his brother, following their father’s passing in the 1970s.
“He was very active in the community,” said Jack of Farrand. “There was always something happening at the house.”
Miller was a leader of the Jewish community, past president and lifetime member of the Optimist Club of Cornwall, and long-time supporter of the Heart and Stroke Foundation and numerous other causes in the city.
Jack said his dad also helped in the creation of a Cornwall minor football program.
But local members of the Jewish faith considered him a “pillar,” said Jack.
“It was a really close-knit group,” he said, adding Farrand worked hard to support local members of the Jewish faith without seeking accolades or titles. “He was the guy who helped look after the cemetery, or was the group treasurer.”
Farrand and wife Joyce were married for 61 years and he is survived by Jack and his other children Howard, Burl and Robin.
