Paul “Rex” Miller, 93, of Solomons, MD , sailed into the Port of Heaven on  December 23, 2021. Rex is survived by his wife and first mate, Donna, of 42  years, sons Paul Rex Miller, Jr. (Sue ) CA, Eric Miller (Teri) MD, daughter Kristen Lauver (Tom Devlin) MD, sister Louise Woods, MD, and 5 grandchildren.

Rex was born in Baltimore, MD in 1928 and  graduated from the Baltimore MD Polytechnic Institute in 1946.  He enlisted in the Navy in 1946 and served in the Navy and the Navy Reserves.  He graduated from Johns Hopkins University School of Engineering with a ME Degree, received a Masters Degree from the University of MD and attended the Oak Ridge School of Reactor Technology in Oak Ridge TN.

Rex began his career in 1951 as an academic instructor and flight test planner at the Navy’s Test Pilot School at the Patuxent River Naval Air Base in Lexington Park MD, where he taught and flew with  NASA Astronauts, John Glenn and Scott Carpenter.  The test pilots inspired him to get his private pilot’s license and he flew with the FAA Flying Club for many years.

Subsequent employment was with the Atomic Energy Commission in Washington DC where he supported the Nuclear Ship Savannah Project.  Following employment was with Martin Company and NASA. After retirement from NASA, he was employed by Schafer Associates in Arlington VA as a Program Advisor to an element of the Pentagon’s Strategic Defense Initiative Organization.

After retirement in 1997, Rex and Donna moved to Solomons MD, where his beloved Chesapeake Bay  was close by. Rex was a member of the Solomons Island Yacht Club.  As a boy his father took him on adventures on the Chesapeake Bay on the Baltimore Ferry, where he sketched the steamboats, airplanes and the water and sky.  With adventure in his blood, he learned to sail and sailed the Chesapeake Bay over 60 years, with his most rewarding adventure being when he Captained his Tartan 37 sailboat to Bermuda, with the most exuberant feeling of returning to homeport via his beloved Chesapeake Bay.

Rex’s other passion was sketching and painting.  After moving to Solomons he enrolled in the Advanced Oil Painting Class at the Calvert County Office on Aging, where he assisted in forming the Color and Light Society.  He was a founding member of the CalvART Gallery in Prince Frederick, MD, a member of the North End Gallery in Leonardtown, MD and the Calvert Artists Guild.   One of his most rewarding venues was being juried to exhibit his art at Ann Marie Garden Artsfests.

Rex was honored to be a Southern Maryland artist exhibiting  his works of water, boats, sky and clouds, and his interpretation of the beauty of the barns and nature landmarks of Southern Maryland.

Rex said that “When someone bought one of my paintings I felt I had communicated with another person in this universe in a very special way and that is the most satisfying accomplishment an artist can achieve. ”

Rex was a member of the former Solomons United Methodist Church congregation.

Family will receive friends on Monday, January 10, 2022 from 12:00 p.m. until 1:00 p.m. with a Funeral Service following at 1:00 p.m. at Rausch Funeral Home, 20 American Lane, Lusby, MD.  Interment will be on Tuesday, January 11, 2022 at 11:30 a.m. in the Maryland Veterans Cemetery, Crownsville, MD.

Memorial donations can be made to the Solomons Rescue Squad. Condolences to the family may be made at www.rauschfuneralhomes.com.

Support the Arts of Southern Maryland:   CalvART Gallery, the North End Gallery, Annmarie Garden, and the Color and Light Society.

Family is requesting that masks be worn at the services.