Barbara “Bashia” Miller of Southold died Aug. 12, 2026, at home. She was 89 years old.
Born Sept. 2, 1936, in Flushing, Queens, she was the daughter of Josephine and Edward Klein. She raised six children with her husband, James Miller Sr., and was a working partner in the family commercial fishing business and on the family farm. She ran the family’s floating retail fish store with her daughters, while her husband and sons caught lobsters and fish. She later became the first office secretary and then president of Marine Pollution Control Inc., which was later renamed Miller Environmental Group Inc. She was a grandmother to 14 grandchildren and a great-grandmother to eight great-grandchildren. Her family said she was diligent in teaching her children and grandchildren the importance of family unity, responsibility, work ethic, commitment, contribution to community and fairness.
She was predeceased by her husband, James Miller Sr.
She is survived by her children, James Miller Jr. (Deborah), Dr. Barbara Gaines (Dr. John Gaines), Glen Miller (Susan), Mark Miller (Biriçim), Tracey Orlando (Vincent) and Jennifer Wheeler (Charles); 14 grandchildren; eight great-grandchildren; countless nieces and nephews; and Maia Khutsishvili, her caretaker and friend.
The family received visitors Monday, Aug. 17, at DeFriest-Grattan Funeral Home in Mattituck. A religious service will be held Tuesday, Aug. 18, at 10:30 a.m. at Mattituck Presbyterian Church in Mattituck, followed by interment at St. Patrick’s Cemetery in Southold. Memorial donations may be made to Mattituck Presbyterian Church or Eastern Long Island Hospital Foundation.
