Dear Editor,
I stayed with Henry Miles for three years while going to school in Rutland. He gave me shelter from the storm. He did not drink one drop for three years while I was there, but I needed to go to take care of a relative who had dementia out of state. I would have taken him with me, but his drinking would have made it impossible for him to live there.
Miles had a disability for sure. No one really ever was aware of this. I believe it was a mild case of Autism. I am not a physician, but it was apparent that he did have a learning and functional disability, and the liquor was like poison to his system.
He was scheduled to go up north to a rehab, but something happened. The community in Rutland at the Yellow Deli were helping him, but he was not willing to change his religious beliefs. Consequently, he did not stay with them, but they were most gracious to him.
He had a picture of him and his friend Nick A. while they were in New York City the time he held an umbrella for Mariah Carey while walking in the city. That is the kind of guy he was. He would frequently wait at the bus stop while raining and walk me back to the apartment with the umbrella over me. He was a very sweet man.
There will be an open mass for him at Christ the King in Rutland on March 30 at 4:45 p.m. All are welcome to attend.
Eulogy for Henry Miles
There once was a man I knew with a heart of gold. His specialty was to make people laugh due to his witty charm. Henry Miles baked the best Lemon Meringue this side of the Mississippi. He was a lover of memorabilia, and his collection was exquisite, including a beautiful jukebox.
He loved nature and he could always be found walking on Wheelerville Rd. in Mendon. He was sweet and kind to all. He once had a pet named Bootsy the rabbit, soft and gentle as he.
Henry Miles used to roar sometimes due to the pain in his heart from too many losses to mention. He battled with the addiction that started in his youth. Liquor finds its way to destroy a beautiful soul.
His mother Mary loves him so, although his siblings were unkind and unloving…shame on them. He was like a leaf in the wind at times, but he never lost sight of the Lord. The only two persons that never gave up on him were a saint as in Nicholas and the other given the name of Angel at birth. They will always harbor memories of this man for the rest of their days.
He was loved.
Angela Mitchell, Connecticut
