Lock Miller, 1950-2015

Sad to see the obituary for Lock Miller in yesterday's Seattle Times:

www.legacy.com/obituaries/seattletimes/o...r-lock&pid=176010930

All of us in Seattle who've enjoyed backcountry sports for the past few decades owe a debt to Lock for his work in creating and sustaining the old Marmot Mountain Works store.

Winlock "Lock" Miller

Winlock Miller, known affectionately by family and friends as "Lock," died on October 1, 2015. He was born on December 5, 1950 and was the older son of Pendleton and Elisabeth Miller. He was predeceased by his parents and his younger brother, Carey Miller. His survivors include three cousins (Christie Douglass, Katherine Carey and Elisabeth Carey) and five nephews and nieces (Michael Miller, Steven Miller, Jason Miller, Emily Miller, and Elizabeth Miller).

Lock attended Phillips Academy, a private boarding school in Andover, Massachusetts, and graduated from the University of Rochester. While still in school, he spent several summers as an intern on the Juneau Ice Field conducting research under the auspices of the Foundation for Glacier and Environmental Research. He continued his affiliation with that organization, serving for many years as a board member and treasurer.

Lock was an enthusiast for outdoor sports and became an accomplished skier and mountain climber. This interest led him to found Marmot Mountain Works, a company that specialized in clothing and equipment for mountaineering and skiing, and to create a guide service for kayaking. He saw the development of innovative apparel and equipment and was recognized for his expertise in these items.

Upon her death, his mother created two charitable organizations. One was the Elisabeth C. Miller Botanical Garden Trust, which operates a garden renown for growing a large number of unusual species and for disseminating information about plants particularly suited to the Pacific Northwest. The other was the Pendleton and Elisabeth Miller Charitable Foundation, which makes grants to numerous area charities concerned with horticulture, public parks, education, and northwest history. Lock served as president of both of these organizations from the time of their funding until his final illness.

A public memorial service, celebrating Lock's life, will be held in the Florence Henry Memorial Chapel in the Highlands on November 7th at 1:00pm. Following the memorial service, all attendees are invited to a reception at St. Dunstan's Episcopal Church at 722 N. 145th Street in Shoreline, Washington.

Any memorial gifts should be made payable to the "Pendleton and Elisabeth Miller Charitable Foundation" and sent to PO Box 77377; Seattle, WA 98177.

RIP to Lock. He was a strong supporter of backcountry and Nordic skiing in the Seattle area. I appreciated the efforts he went to for getting Seattle skiers up to the Stevens Pass Nordic Center when I was demoing gear. Let's hope another shop will step up to encourage skiers of all abilities to ski tour with what ever tools suits them.

Lock also supported the Telemark Race at Stevens Pass since it's inception. He helped with startup funds advertising and prizes. RIP Lock!

So true. Marmot was the only place to get AT gear in the early and mid 80s when I started climbing. Was just in my closet 5 minutes ago and chuckled at my circa 1988 marmot fleece, still to this day my favorite, sitting there. I will never let it go.