On May 5, with his wife Mary Ellen by his side, Neill Miner passed away. He was a quiet, intelligent, and caring person. He will be missed by all who knew him and many others who were impacted by him through his work. He worked long and hard as director of the Office of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention.

I got to know Neill when he came to Winthrop as an adviser to Winthrop Unites (now called Winthrop Cares) to help town volunteers begin a program of educating parents and students about the effects of both alcohol and drugs. Neill energized the group to pick one of several prevention programs that had worked well in towns much like Winthrop. The group, including the chief of police, Joe Young, rolled up their sleeves and began a plan of action. If there was a glitch, Neill was there to offer suggestions, mediate problems as they arose and, sometimes, help us out financially to buy whatever was needed to fill a gap that hadn’t been anticipated. The project was a success, and went on for a few more years in an abbreviated form. Neill continued to work with Winthrop and the surrounding towns.

Neill, there was no one like you, and it will be some time before someone else comes along. I hope she or he has the same welcoming smile and the quiet thoughtfulness of working through problems. Whatever realm you’ve gone to is probably very happy to see you. I know we were.

Megan Antonucci

Winthrop