Norwich, VT – Joseph “Joe” Miller Mehling died on November 5, 2026, one day before his 79th birthday, after a recent cancer diagnosis. He passed peacefully at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center surrounded by his family.
Joe was born in Baltimore, Maryland on November 6, 1947, to Margaret “Peggy” Woodside Miller and John Judge Mehling. Joe was the middle child of 3 boys, older brother John “Jaron” and younger brother William “Bill.” Joe inherited a love of reading from his father, and spoke fondly of his dad reading the Wind in the Willows to him at bedtime, laughing about Toad’s misadventures. His dad was also the family photographer and instilled a love for photography early in Joe’s life, an affinity that would lead to an acclaimed career and life-long passion. Joe described his mother Peggy as a “kind, compassionate soul,” traits that he admired and tried to emulate.
Joe attended Walt Whitman High School in Huntington Station, New York. A varsity football, wrestling, track, and lacrosse player, he graduated in 1965 as salutatorian of his class and moved to Hanover, N.H., to attend Dartmouth College on an ROTC scholarship. He quickly discovered that military service was not for him:
“When I arrived in Hanover in September of 1965, change was in the air and I was beginning to wake up…Dylan was singing ‘Like a Rolling Stone’ on the radio that summer. There were civil-rights marches and anti-war protests around the country; draft cards were being burned. It was a very exciting time to be alive, and I quickly felt a part of this movement.”
During this period, he worked as a carpenter, and an accident with a skill saw resulted in the loss of two of his fingers. He credited this seemingly unlucky event with his exemption from the draft to the war in Vietnam.
Somewhere along the way, Joe picked up a camera again and started taking black and white photos of his friends and classmates, long-haired hippies in the hills of Vermont and Vietnam war protests in Washington, D.C. In spring 1985, while Joe was living in Sag Harbor on the east end of Long Island, he decided to stop doing carpentry and see if he could make a living as a photographer. He shot photos on spec for the East Hampton Star and from there he began his freelance career in photography, shooting landscapes and artist portraits. He was published in Boating Magazine as well as a photo book called Living with Flowers by horticulturalist J. Barry Furguson. He was also awarded runner up in a competition in Nikon Magazine for a portrait of his newborn daughter, Mercedes.
In 1993, he was hired as Dartmouth’s college photographer, a role he treasured for the next 18 years, until he retired in 2011. He photographed countless students, professors, classrooms, campus scenes, and events. A ubiquitous figure on campus, he never met a stranger and truly loved his work. During his time working at Dartmouth, he met his wife, Susan Warner, with whom he would share 20 years of his life. They both possessed a love of gardening and books and were each other’s constant companions.
In his later years, Joe found joy in the simple things – “treasures everywhere!” as he would exclaim. He loved to go for walks in the woods, photographing leaves, flowers, and gravestones. He was a voracious reader and loved the works of David Haskell, Mary Oliver, Henry David Thoreau, and John McPhee, among others. During his tenure at Dartmouth, Joe had the opportunity to photograph another favorite author of his, Margaret Atwood. After taking her portrait, she asked him to hand her the camera. “I bet no one ever asks to take your photo!” she said, and he happily obliged.
Joe is survived by his loving wife Susan, his daughter Mercedes Mehling (Jesse LaFountaine), his grandson Asa Mehling, and his step-children Madeleine Ables (Trevor Jackson) and Glenn Smith.
A celebration of life will be planned for a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests making a donation to Norwich (VT) Public Library, or spending time in nature with someone you love.
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