Roll Call Tribute

Waltrip Funeral Directors obituary
Houston, TX
713-465-2525

Harold Loyd Miller
DECEMBER 24, 1922 – SEPTEMBER 27, 2017

Harold Loyd Miller was born in Aurora, Colorado, on December 24th, 1922, to Cy and Ona Miller. He arrived well before his due date, but grew and thrived despite the doctor’s claim that his parents would “never raise that thing.” His mother kept him warm in a shoe box by the stove. The family moved to San Antonio, and then later to the Bryan/College Station community, so Harold’s older brother, Ross, could attend Texas A&M.

World War II came, taking both boys off to fight. Harold was a flight engineer on a B-24 bomber based at the Attlebridge Air Force Base in England. After the war, Harold came back home, where he met Virginia, who was visiting relatives who lived near the Millers. Harold and Virginia fell in love and married in 1946. Their first daughter, Kaye, was born in 1952. They moved to Houston around 1956, and joined Spring Branch Presbyterian Church in 1958, where they have been active ever since. Their second daughter, Laurie, came along in 1966. Harold was very involved in the upbringing of both girls, instilling a love of the outdoors in both of them. The entire family was active in scouting, and enjoyed camping, fishing, gardening, and birding.

Harold loved to work with his hands. He was a small business owner, and owned several businesses over the course of his life. Among other things, he built homes, including at least two that the family lived in, he provided the steel framing for the Houston Galleria as well as the first Whataburger in Corpus Christi, he raised honeybees, had a company that rebuilt Honda motors, and finished his working career with Unique Wood Products, his company which provided custom stair treads and fancy moldings made of fine woods for many Houston area homes.

Harold served his church in many ways. Over the years he was an elder, served on the diaconate, was a trustee, and also served on the Learning Center Board. He was the Scoutmaster for Troop 478 from 1960 to 1963. Harold also used his skills around the church property. The big outdoor church sign one generation back was built by him, as were all the children’s cubbies that line the academy hallways even today. Harold installed the track lighting in the choir loft, and made the wooden cross that hangs on the outside wall of the Garden Room. He loved his church and all the fun activities, too, taking his turn grilling for Wednesday Night Hamburger Supper and faithfully attending the Monday Bridge group.

In later life, the couple got to travel a bit, with visits to see Laurie and Gary when they lived in New York, Kaye and Tom in Georgia and Florida, and a 50th anniversary trip to Copper Canyon, Mexico. Harold and Virginia celebrated 71 happy anniversaries, and had many other joys along the way. Probably his two greatest joys were his grandchildren, Ethan and Emily, who he was very proud of not only for their accomplishments, but because of the fine young adults they have become.

Harold passed away on September 27, 2017, at the age of 94, and is survived by his wife, Virginia Boyd Miller, his daughter and son-in-law Kaye and Tom Fearneyhough, his daughter and son-in-law Laurie and Gary Mitchell, his two grandchildren, Ethan and Emily Mitchell, his in-laws John and LaNette Boyd and Dub Fowler, and precious other cousins, nieces, and nephews.

Visitation with the family was held from 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. on Friday, September 29, 2017 at Waltrip Funeral Directors, 1415 Campbell Road in Houston. Graveside services were 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, September 30th in College Station City Cemetery, 2530 Texas Ave. in College Station, Texas. A memorial service honoring Mr. Miller followed at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, in the sanctuary of Spring Branch Presbyterian Church, where Rev. Kristin Galle, officiated.


Services

Visitation Friday, September 29, 2017
Graveside Service Saturday, September 30, 2017
Memorial Service Saturday, September 30, 2017
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Sent by daughter

Harold Loyd Miller 12/24/1922 - 9/27/2017

Harold spent his high school years as well as early married life in Bryan/College Station. The current location of the College Station Police Department was his family's home place, and Cy was his father. There is a small pocket park there named after his father, Cy Miller.

Harold was a WWII veteran in the Army Air Corps - more details in obit.

My dad attended Texas A&M in 1946 and or 1947, taking engineering classes after returning home from the war. I don't know how to find out for sure exactly when he attended, and he didn't graduate, but always thought of himself as an Aggie. Both of his daughters graduated from TAMU (Kaye Miller Fearneyhough '74 and Laurie Miller Mitchell '89) and he has an Aggie granddaughter (Emily Rose Mitchell '19 now studying Spatial Science).

link to obituary -https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/houston-tx/harold-miller-7577508

He and his brother Ross Ivon Miller '39 both have their service photos in the Bastogne exhibit that is currently in the MSC