Herbert L. Miller, 79, the longtime owner of a Chicago-area paint equipment firm, died Monday, Jan. 22, at his home in Princeton, Ill. Mr. Miller’s father founded the company, then known as Miller Manufacturing, in Chicago in the 1930s, emphasizing a device he designed to mix paint. Mr. Miller bought the firm from his father in the early 1950s. Under Mr. Miller’s guidance, the company, Miller Paint Equipment Inc., moved to a larger plant in Addison, developed overseas clients and introduced a range of custom-color paint equipment. Trained as an engineer, Mr. Miller took pride in his firm’s original designs, said his son, Richard. “He was always thinking. Always wanting to improve,” his son said. “He was always saying, `If this works well this way, is there a better way to do it?” After selling the company in 1987, Mr. Miller retired to Wyanet Township. He cultivated several thousand acres and raised cattle. Mr. Miller was born and raised in Chicago. He served aboard the USS Laramie in the Atlantic during World War II, returning to Chicago to receive his engineering degree from the Illinois Institute of Technology. Mr. Miller also is survived by daughters Rexanne Struve, Jacquelyn Wilson and Valerie Jensen; and 10 grandchildren. Visitation will be from 1 p.m. until services at 3 p.m. Monday in Norberg Memorial Home, 701 E. Thompson St., Princeton.
