ROCKPORT — February 4, 2021 arrived with quiet jubilance at the oceanside home of Howard Miller. It was not just any mid-winter day, and the number of birthday cards lining the windows of his dining room attested to the special occasion: Howard turned 100 years old, and he started it in good fashion, with a leisurely breakfast of eggs and bacon, to be followed by a day of celebration.

Since Sept. 15, 1986, Miller has been living at Eastward on the Ocean, occupying one of the first homes built at that Rockport subdivision. His perch, the edge of a bluff overlooking the ocean, gives him a wide view of Penobscot Bay — the ferries, freighters and sailboats, and he keeps a camera with a powerful zoom lens nearby him at the kitchen table to capture the constantly changing sea and ocean traffic.

Outside the dining room window, a fat gray squirrel was foraging beneath a bird feeder. Miller’s home was a regular stopping point for a menagerie of wildlife — 20 ducks come by daily, an equal number of turkeys, even a fox drops by weekly, said Miller.

On Feb. 4, Allen Mitchell, also of Rockport, was visiting him. Mitchell, owner of the construction firm McCormick and Associates, had just purchased that business in 1985, and Miller’s home, built that year for Howard and his wife, Gladys, was among the first projects Mitchell had completed as the company’s new owner.

He and Miller have been friends since then, and was on hand to wish one of his first clients a happy 100th.

Howard and Gladys, who passed away during their 67th year of marriage, wound up in Rockport after traveling the country seeking out just the right home.

Howard retired from his career as an engineer in 1984, got a new Cadillac, and he and Gladys — “a knock-out redhead,” as he described his wife — took a 6,000-mile trip around the southern part of country from their then home in South Carolina, through California, across the country again, back up to Washington, and eventually ended back on the East Coast, in Camden.

“We liked Maine so much, we decided to stay,” he said.

Born in in Spencer, North Carolina, 100 years ago, Miller grew up on a farm, and then left home for his engineering education at North Carolina State University in Raleigh. Within a week after graduation, he entered the Navy Reserves as an ensign, and after a stint, he worked his entire career for private industry.

He and Gladys got married and started a family, living in Charleston, West Virginia and Aken, South Carolina. Church was a constant in their lives, and when they arrived in Maine, they sought out the Lutheran congregation. But, at that point in time, it was a small church, so they joined the Episcopal Church in Camden. Still, they looked around and eventually settled into the Episcopal Church of St. John Baptist in Thomaston, “a friendly and family-oriented group,” he said.

Given the pandemic, he isn’t getting to church these days, but he visits with neighbors and others who call him.

“I love it here in Maine, the view, the neighbors, and the churches,” he said.

Last year, he gave up driving; but, by then, he was only just taking the car a half mile up the driveway to the mailbox.

“I was afraid of hurting someone else,” he said. 

His love for performance cars, however, has not dimmed. He once owned a Datsun 240Z, as well as a 280Z and a Pontiac convertible. He wasn’t a speed fanatic; it was more the car’s engineering and road performance that captivated him. 

He has also owned seven Subarus.

“You don’t need a performance car in Maine,” he said. “You don’t have performance roads.”

These days, he finds contentment in living by the ocean, watching the natural landscape change with the weather and seasons. Turning 100 is not a milestone in his mind.

“I'm glad to get it over with, “ he said. “I never used it as an objective.”

He attributes his wellbeing to the exceptional doctors in the area, and good dental care.

Howard has a few sage words for younger generations.

“Don’t drink, smoke or chase too many women,” suggested his friend, Allen.

“I haven’t had trouble with women,” said Howard. “I kept my pace.”

But, he smiled: “Love your neighbor. Be good citizens. Love your churches. And, get to bed by 9 or 10 o’clock in your own house.”

Spoken as a wise man. Happy birthday, Howard Miller!

Reach Editorial Director Lynda Clancy at lyndaclancy@penbaypilot.com; 207-706-6657