Harvey Derrill Millar

H. Derrill Millar, 86, passed away on May 1, 2025 at the end of a life filled with joy and an abundance of love. Derrill was a longtime resident of Walnut Creek, California, where he and his wife Irene raised their three children and showered attention on their eight grandchildren. Derrill was a respected financial analyst; faithful member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; a connoisseur of all things relating to the Civil War and WWII; and an adored son, brother, husband, father, and grandfather. 

Derrill was born on October 26, 1938, in Oak Park, Illinois to Pauline (Schofield) Millar, a homemaker, bibliophile, and seamstress, and Harvey Millar, a chemist. Derrill was the second of three children, with an older sister Yvonne and a younger brother Paul. The family lived in the suburbs of Chicago until 1945, when they moved to Berkeley, California. Derrill remembered the two years he lived in Berkeley as the happiest time of his childhood — building treehouses, digging holes, having cap gun wars, making scooters out of wood and roller skate wheels, and going to see cowboy movies at the local cinema with his best friend Ann. His only regret from his Berkeley years was that he was in a hospital recovering from hernia surgery when World War II ended, so he missed out on all the celebrations. 

In 1947, the Millar family moved to Pleasant Grove, Utah, where his father had decided to start a chemical company. For the next decade, Derrill spent all his non-school time helping his dad with the hard labor of multiple businesses: a chemical company, a fruit orchard, an alfalfa and barley farm, and a cattle raising venture. 

Derrill attended Pleasant Grove High School from 1953-56, where he excelled at academics and was the school’s representative to Boys State. But his first love was sports. He played football and was especially proud when his team won the State Football Championship his senior year. 

After graduation, Derrill attended Utah State University for one year and then, itching for an adventure, joined the Army Reserves. He served six months of active duty at Fort Ord in California, including eight weeks of basic training. He wrote in his journal that the best part of the adventure was leaving it. He vividly remembered gratefully returning on a bus back to Utah and spotting the welcoming lights of the temple at night, as they silently drove towards Salt Lake City. 

After a few semesters at the University of Utah, Derrill ultimately found his academic home at Brigham Young University, drawn in by the geographic diversity of its student body. He changed his major from chemical engineering to business, which he found to be a better fit. But after three semesters at BYU, he once again got the itch for adventure and decided to go to Los Angeles with a friend to work for a while. His parents were aghast at this decision, worried he would never finish college. He assured them he would, leaving Utah for California in his ’53 Ford in February 1961. 

And then, as he later described, came the moment that forever changed his life. He was driving into Los Angeles when he “turned his head” to see a sign for an employment agency. He went in, and got a job as a teller at World Savings & Loan in Lynwood, California. He was promoted a few times and, in March of 1962, found himself as Assistant Manager of Escrow, supervising a new employee named Irene Sanchez, who, as luck would have it, had just broken up with her boyfriend. Within short measure, he asked her to be his date to a work party in Beverly Hills. She politely declined, explaining that she already had a date. He went to the party dateless, got her alone, and asked her if she wanted a drink. She declined. Then, in an act that would be replayed and dissected for decades, he proceeded to impishly pour his own drink down her bare arm. This decidedly inartful attempt at flirtation was the improbable act that launched a 63-year love affair. They got married on June 22, 1968. 

Meanwhile, Derrill stayed true to his promise to his parents, graduating from BYU in 1965 with a B.S. in Business Management and in 1967 with a Masters in Accounting. He accepted a job as a financial analyst with Standard Oil (now known as Chevron) in San Francisco. 

Derrill and Irene welcomed their first child, Diane, in September 1969. Shortly thereafter, they bought their first home, a fixer-upper in Walnut Creek, where they happily lived for six years. Their second child, Steven, was born in December 1972. Courtney, their third child, was born in April 1976. 

Prior to Courtney’s birth, the couple decided they needed a bigger home, and bought a house in a new development that was replacing a large pear orchard. That home, on Diablo Shadow Drive in Walnut Creek, was Derrill’s favorite place in the world. He loved that house and often remarked that he couldn’t imagine a better place to live. He was not a “grass is always greener” kind of person; he appreciated everything he had and knew how lucky and blessed he was. He lived there for the next 48 years. 

A big part of Derrill’s contentment was his membership in the Ygnacio Valley Ward (now the North Gate Ward) and the relationships he formed with fellow members of the Church. He served in many positions throughout the years, including Elders Quorum President, Bishopric member, and High Priest Group Leader. He later said his most meaningful calling was Stake Missionary to the Cambodian-speaking branch in Oakland. After he retired from Chevron in 1998, he volunteered in the Church Family History Center and as a worker at the Oakland temple. In 2016, he and Irene served as full-time missionaries in New Paltz, New York.

Family was everything to Derrill. While his children were growing up, he supported them in every endeavor and was a constant source of both unconditional love and levity — always game to tease and be teased. He planned a big family vacation every year, and the family traveled widely on road trips throughout the western United States. After retirement, he and Irene enjoyed cruises and made many memories traveling throughout Europe. 

Derrill was fiercely devoted to his children and grandchildren. He and Irene traveled countless miles to be with them at moments important and mundane. Grandpa didn’t just talk to his grandchildren — he engaged with them. He was the first to get on the floor with them and make train tracks, play Candy Land, or allow his granddaughters to braid what was left of his hair. He knew instinctively how fleeting childhood is and how important it was to make moments count. His grandchildren loved his undivided attention and silliness. He was a little boy at heart and never lost the mischievous innocence that once made him think pouring a drink down a girl’s arm would be charming. 

Derrill’s rock was his best friend of six decades, Irene, whom he cherished. He wrote in his journal that marrying her was the best decision he ever made. He loved her, respected her, and made a life with her that was full of meaning and immense satisfaction. His life exemplified his values and we are all the grateful beneficiaries. 

Derrill was deeply loved. He will be missed. 

Funeral services for Derrill will be held at the North Gate Chapel on Saturday, May 17, at 10am. Visitation begins at 9am.