Obituary of Merton Lee Miller

MERTON LEE MILLER After a battle with Alzheimer’s, Merton died on August 13, in Owasso, OK at the age of 88. He was born on November 12, 1931, in Rosston, OK, to father William “Nolan” Miller and mother Mildred Showalter Miller, who predeceased him. He will be remembered for his great sense of humor and outgoing personality. He had a great love of family, traveling, fishing, and card games. He never met a stranger. His family includes his wife Theda, of Owasso, OK; daughter Brenda Miller and husband Keith Sayer, of Fort Worth, TX; son Garrett Miller, his wife Barbara, their children Nolan, Caleb and Jayde, of La Russell, MO; and step grandchildren and great grandchildren. In addition to his wife and children, he is survived by brother Jack Miller of McAlester, OK, and numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents; a twin, Bertha, who died in infancy; brothers Bill Miller, Norval Miller, Taylor Miller, Allen Miller, Cody Miller, and Zack Miller; and sisters Madeline Hill and Naomi Rice. After high school in Buffalo, OK, in 1949, he joined the Air Force. He served on a Troop ship and worked on B-52s at Clark Air Force Base in Manila, Philippines. He married Theda Faye Huenergardt on October 20, 1956, in Buffalo, OK. They moved to Wichita, KS, where he worked for Boeing. He worked for the USPS from 1964 to 1991 in Enid, OK, raising their kids there. Upon retirement, they made several trips to Alaska. In 2006, they returned to Alaska with their kids and grandkids to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary. Over the course of their marriage, they travelled to all 50 states and he had traveled to 28 countries. They lived in eight cities during their married life. As the family “Chef”, he only cooked grilled BBQ hamburgers, smoked turkey and his infamous popcorn balls. His “Sous Chef” role was for homemade donuts. After retirement, he made afghans and hundreds of dishcloths for family and friends on a homemade wooden looms. His greatest role in life was being “Papa” to his three grandchildren. He had belonged to the Federation of Postal Clerks and National Association of Retired Federal Employees. He was a member of the First United Methodist Church of Owasso and was active at the Owasso Senior Center.