Loyal order member Robbie Miller hailed as ‘absolute gent’ by conservationist

They gathered at 1.30pm at Waterside Presbyterian Church in the east side of Londonderry city, where road victim Robert ‘Robbie’ Miller, aged 85, had hailed from.

As well as being a member of the Orange Order and Royal Black Preceptory, Mr Miller was also a keen fisherman and long-time senior member of the roughly 800-strong group the River Faughan Anglers.

The funeral was told by his son Alwyn that he had been a quiet and unassuming family man.

The mourners also heard that he had just celebrated his 61st wedding anniversary on March 11, three days before the collision.

Rev Knox Jones gave a sermon based on the section of Mark, Chapter 4, when Jesus and disciples are on the Sea of Galilee and he orders a raging storm to cease. Rev Jones noted the disciples were, like Mr Miller, fishermen, and that God’s love endures throughout life’s storms.

A retired bus driver, he was a pedestrian when a sliver Citroen struck him on Crescent Link at about 8pm. He was taken to hospital but died.

On Monday Stanley McComb, secretary of his lodge Kildoag LOL 1164, had hailed his 60-plus years in the order and described him as both “liked and respected”.

And today, Dean Blackwood, director of the Faughan Anglers, described him as “an absolute gentleman”.

The 56-year-old conservationist who also hails from the Waterside (who was unable to attend today’s funeral) told the News Letter Mr Miller had spent a recent roughly-decade long spell on the angling group’s committee, adding: “He was a lovely man. Not only did he love his fishing, he had an affinity with the river and wanted to give something back.

“He sat on our committee for many years, and made an invaluable contribution to protecting the river – just being the eyes and ears of the river in the sections he fished.

“He was a quiet man, very pleasant man. But he had a bit of a caustic wit about him at times!”