James Kirk Miller, 66, passed away in Sandpoint, Idaho, on February 4, 2020. The family will be holding a memorial at Eichardt’s Pub and Grill at 212 Cedar Street in Sandpoint on Saturday, February 15, 2020 at 1p.m.

Kirk, as most people knew him, was born in Long Beach, California, on August 21, 1953 to, Jim and Blanche Ebell. When he was 3 years old, Kirk’s mother remarried Allyn “Bud” Miller, who soon after adopted Kirk. Due to Bud’s career, the family moved frequently in Kirk’s younger years. Kirk graduated from Worthington High School in Columbus, Ohio.

Kirk loved the arts, inspiring him to study art, design and photography throughout his college years. Kirk received his bachelor’s degree in computer science from Cal State Northridge in 1980, before going on to receive his MBA from UCLA in 1985. Kirk had a variety of careers from director of quality control at Alpherel, to business owner, to ERP analyst at Quest and at Diedrich.

An early love of photography developed into a passion in his later years, and Kirk became most known for his work capturing sunrises. Kirk found enjoyment in bird and critter watching as he waited for the perfect moment to capture his beautiful sunrise photos. The digital age gave Kirk the ability to share his photography with the online community, become a member of several groups of photographers and birdwatchers, and enabled him to become a mentor to many, passing on his knowledge and love of photography. Kirk was an early regular at Eichardt’s Pub and Grill, where he held the title of the “Mug Clubs” mug #1, and was loved by many. Kirk was a lifelong Seahawks fan, an avid reader of fiction novels, an insatiable Sudoku junkie, and a patron of a variety of musical genres, which his large collection of LPs can attest to.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Allyn “Bud” and Blanche Miller. He is survived by his wife Natalie Miller; daughters Heather (Joe) Miller, and Chancey (Jason) Hartman, and son Makai (Belanna) Miller; four beloved grandchildren Zoe, Fiona, Aaliyah and Deegan; sister Wendy (Dawn) Broussard and brothers Tom (Suzy) and Bob (Marissa) Miller; and cousins Buddy (Renee) and Cheryl Waters.

Lakeview Funeral Home in Sandpoint is handling the arrangements. Please visit Kirk’s online memorial at lakeviewfuneral.com and sign his guest book.