‘Gentle soul’ remembered

Markus Miller, a former Sawdust exhibitor who was found dead in April in a vacant lot, was remembered last week by friends as a “gentle soul” who never had a bad thing to say about anyone.

Thirty gathered last Thursday for a memorial in Heisler Park.

Miller, 57, was found dead by police April 27 in a lot used as a transient camp in the 700 block of South Coast Highway.

Laguna Police Capt. Danell Adams said Miller’s death appears to be from natural causes, though a coroner’s report is pending.

People who knew Miller saw him as part of the “Laguna Family,” not a transient, friend Martha Lee Scott said.

Miller lived his entire life in Laguna and worked as an artist before falling into financial difficulties, Scott added.

Miller was known in the community for the bronzed jewelry he made and sold.

A sign above his Sawdust booth reading “Cover Your Buns” advertised ornamental cages for women to wear over their hair buns.

Miller’s time at the Sawdust ended some time in the early 1990s, friend Harry Musante said.

“We were very good friends. I always knew him as a vibrant person,” he said.

Musante, who befriended Miller while they were in middle school, last saw him two months ago.

“He was gaunt. I thought he wasn’t doing well. He asked for money, but I didn’t give him any because I thought he would just drink it away,” Musante said. “I walked away not knowing what to do.”

Musante said it was hard to watch his friend’s plight get worse through the years.

“Part of being a friend is when the chips are down you don’t discard him,” he said remorsefully.

Longtime friend Cherie Allen recalled Miller as a young man flipping burgers in the early 1960s at an eatery near Main Beach.

“The girls loved him,” she said. “He always had a smile on his face.”

Allen said Miller also struggled through a series of personal tragedies that he never seemed to bounce back from.

“The last year and a half must have been hard,” Allen said. “I could tell by his appearance that things weren’t right.”