BLUE HILL
On Feb. 5, 2019, Miles Memory Maiden, aged 60, passed away at the Brigham & Women’s Hospital in Boston. Born in San Diego on June 2, 1958, to Cecil and Elizabeth (Walters) Maiden, Miles grew up on Cape Cod, where he first fell in love with the sea. A graduate of Moses Brown School, he moved to Maine in 1982 to attend College of the Atlantic, a school he loved so much he always wished he could go back and do it again.
Miles is survived by his wife of 33 years, Meg (Davis) Maiden, and their daughters Haley and Hannah; sister Elizabeth Lynne Maiden of Indio, Calif.; and many cousins in England and Cape Cod. His brother Marcus predeceased him in 2005. Miles had an extremely warm relationship with his in-laws, who teased and loved him as one of their own.
As a young child, Miles traveled around the world with his family while his father was on a writing assignment. He later spent six months backpacking through India and Nepal, where he gained his lifelong interest in Eastern religion, philosophy and oriental rugs. One of his most rewarding years was spent in Jamaica with his wife teaching at a local high school. Miles’ godson Owen Lee Jr., son of a dear friend and fellow teacher, is a living reminder of the strong bonds that were formed during that time. Ultimately, Miles’ favorite place on Earth was Maine, in the Blue Hill home he built and shared with friends and family or outdoors exploring islands and trails along the coast.
Turning the spark of a good idea into reality excited Miles his whole life. Whether it was a building project, designing a tracking solar collector or inventing a hand-held water purifier, Miles loved a challenge and was a tenacious problem-solver. Ever the entrepreneur, Miles founded several businesses including most recently Hydro-Photon, a company he built with dedicated friends and co-workers, who helped him develop the SteriPEN, a product that earned many patents and accolades including Time Magazine’s Best Invention of the Year.
His happiest times were spent on the water with friends and family … preferably in a remote anchorage at sunset with a summer drink in hand aboard his wooden boat Malachi Mudge. If an overnight wasn’t possible, he loved coming home in the dark, with loon calls, moonlight, stars and phosphorescence adding to the boating magic.
Miles was devoted to his family and friends and he shared a special tenderness toward his daughters that often turned him misty-eyed. When faced with cancer, one family member told him recently, “Rather than letting it harden your spirit, you allowed it to do just the opposite.” He was in awe of the compassion bestowed upon him by everyone he met in the medical community and he became unabashed in expressing his love and gratitude to his friends and family through words, deeds, watercolors and sea glass.
A celebration of Miles’ life will take place on Saturday, March 2, at 3 p.m. at the Farmhouse Inn in Blue Hill. In keeping with Miles’ Quaker upbringing, please feel free to bring a short story to share at the beginning of the celebration.
Memorial donations may be made to the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation, P.O. Box 414238, Boston, MA 02241.