Ludlow Miller of Pleasanton, California, formerly of Chestnut Hill, passed away peacefully at Stoneridge Creek Retirement Community on November 15, 2024, at the age of 89. He was born on March 14, 1935, in New York City to William Harlowe Miller and Martha Clarke Miller. Ludlow graduated from The Lawrenceville School (Class of 1954) where he played varsity soccer and ice hockey. He attended Brown University, where he played varsity soccer, ice hockey, and crew, was President of the Sigma Nu Fraternity, and President of the Classics Club. After graduating from Brown in 1958, Ludlow enlisted in the Officers Candidate School and served in the U.S. Navy, during which time he sailed on a destroyer, the USS Furse, and achieved the rank of Lieutenant. After honorable discharge from the Navy in 1961, Ludlow joined National Sugar Refining Company (Jack Frost Sugar) where he worked for 20 years, rising to Vice President of Sales.
He married Barbara (Babbie) Baldwin of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in May, 1963. After living in New York City and Chicago for a few years, Ludlow and Babbie settled in their longtime home in Chestnut Hill in 1971. In June 1982, Ludlow joined Provident National Bank and eventually became Senior Vice President of Trust Sales over 25 years at the bank (ultimately branded as PNC Bank), retiring in December 2007. In 2001, Ludlow received the PNC Performance Award, PNC’s highest award, for significant achievement and consistently extraordinary performance. In 2014, they relocated to a retirement community in the San Francisco Bay Area to live near two of three their children and their families.
An avid adventurer and lifelong athlete, he climbed all 46 mountains over 4,000’ in the High Peaks region of the Adirondack Mountains, New York becoming a “46er” (#3885). He rowed regularly on the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia and was president of the University Barge Club for 10 years, played ice hockey for Wissahickon Skating Club, and more recently in California, played bocce for the Rolling Stones bocce team, golf with the Nomads, and tennis all year round. He famously had a paper route, as an 85-year-old, and his favorite passion was turning off lights.
The defining throughline of Ludlow’s life was Service, and he never met a committee he didn’t like. He served on numerous Boards, including Springside Chestnut Hill Academy, Philadelphia Outward Bound School, Chestnut Hill Hospital, The Hill at Whitemarsh, St. Thomas’ Whitemarsh Episcopal Church, Church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, ALS Association, Philadelphia Cricket Club, University Barge Club, and most recently, the Stoneridge Creek Finance Advisory Committee, Fitness Committee, and Plant Operations Committee (Chair).
Ludlow was a beacon of joy and positivity who was loved and respected by all who knew him. He is survived by his wife Babbie, his two daughters, Laura Miller Bland (Michael) of Richmond, Virginia and Elizabeth Miller Keville (Hollister) of Piedmont, California, and his son, Ludlow Clarke Miller (Katy) of Larkspur, California, and seven grandchildren, Jack, Emily, Lily, Eliza, Lucy, Phoebe, and Magnolia, who were the little lights of his life. He is also survived by his sister, Martha Miller Massey, as well as many beloved nieces, nephews, grandnieces, and grandnephews. His younger brother, William H. Miller, Jr., predeceased him. A memorial service will be held on January 25, 2025 at St. Clare’s Episcopal Church in Pleasanton, CA at 3:00pm. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Springside Chestnut Hill Academy, 500 West Willow Grove Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19118.
