‘The Coast has lost an ambassador.’ South MS mourns death of Scrapin’ the Coast promoter
The man who was the face of “Scrapin’ the Coast” is being mourned by family, friends and those who witnessed his generosity and relied on his expertise when it came to modified cars.
Greg Miller died at the age of 51 on Wednesday following a weeks-long bout with illness that placed him in the intensive care unit at Memorial Hospital in Gulfport.
Miller, who lived in Gulfport, was one of the founders of Biloxi’s Scrapin’ the Coast, which grew into the South’s largest car, truck and bike show over 19 years at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum.
A native of Ottawa, Illinois, Miller served as the show’s main promoter, and he became a familiar face to all those who consistently attended the show and people who frequented the circuit across the region.
“The Coast has lost an ambassador,” said Ronny Tolar, a co-founder of Scrapin’ and a close friend of Miller’s for over three decades. “He wasn’t born here, but you would never know it. He always called the Coast home.”
Miller’s passion for all things automotive was a driving force behind the show.
“From the first time I met him when I moved here in the late ‘80s, he was infatuated with cars and stereos,” Tolar said. “It was no surprise to me when his career took off doing stereo contests and putting on car shows as well as building cars and trucks. It’s what he lived for.”
Through his time on the circuit, Tolar watched Miller graciously offer his time to those who needed it.
“He was the type of personality where you loved him or you didn’t, but I can honestly say in 30-plus years he never turned anyone away,” Tolar said.
Miller’s generosity also translated into raising funds for those in need at car shows.
“He was always the first one to reach in his pocket,” Tolar said. “Every year, we’ve done some type of fundraiser for somebody. This year, our fundraiser was for Greg. In two days, we raised right at $70,000. It was donations from people he had helped, and they had come back to help him.”
Miller’s Facebook page and those of family members have been flooded with an outpouring of people expressing their sense of loss and memories of their experiences with the car show promoter.
“They’re just telling stories about how he touched them and what he did for them,” said Eric Kendricks, one of Miller’s partners with Scrapin’ the Coast. “There were some things he did that I wasn’t aware of. They told stories of how they met Greg, and how he got them started in different things.”
Miller encouraged other car enthusiasts
Plenty of businesses across South Mississippi and the Southeast can trace their roots back to Scrapin’ the Coast.
“He’d give them encouragement to do whatever they were doing,” Kendricks said. “If a guy is working with chassis or accessories, he’d always try to get their name out there.”
Scrapin’ the Coast was always about giving auto enthusiasts an opportunity to put their car on display, and Miller was always their biggest fan.
“We’ve always said with Scrapin’ the Coast that it doesn’t matter what you have. If you put your heart and soul in it, bring it out and we’ll give you a place to show it off,” Tolar said. “I’ve never heard anybody say (Miller) didn’t like my vehicle. He always said it was the best one yet. Whether it’s a teenager or a millionaire who just bought a brand new Corvette from the dealership, it was always the best he’s ever seen. He spent the last 20 years of his life telling people how great their cars were.”
Outside of his work with Scrapin’ the Coast, he was a devoted family man who loved his wife, Tamatha, and daughter, Lauren.
Miller was also an avid fisherman, and he cared deeply for his dogs. In his obituary, the names of his three dachshunds were listed as children.
“There were three things he loved,” Tolar said. “One was his family, they always came first. His dogs, and he loved the Coast.”
A visitation was schedule for 2 p.m. on Saturday with a funeral service set for noon on Sunday at Bradford-O’Keefe Funeral Home in Gulfport.
