John E Miller

John E Miller, 77, ran off to heaven on Sunday, October 1, 2023, immediately after the early worship service at First Baptist Church of Bryan, Texas.

John was born on November 14, 1945, in Wayne, Michigan. He grew up in Sedalia, Missouri, the son of George H Miller and Georgia I Miller. John graduated from Smith Cotton High School in Sedalia in 1963. A lifetime Baylor fan, John graduated in 1967 with a BA in Political Science and Speech. Playing baseball was a major aspect of John's life, from his years in Sedalia to pitching for the Baylor Bears, and his beloved vintage baseball team in Boerne, Texas. He married Nancy C Sanders on January 21, 1968. He earned a JD law degree from Memphis State (now the University of Memphis) and a LLM law degree from the University of Missouri, Kansas City.

John was drafted during the Vietnam era and served in the Signal Corps of the US Army in Korat, Thailand. He practiced law in Sedalia, Missouri, and became a specialist in contract law, working for a number of corporations in Kansas City and Texas. John was an award-winning author of contract management articles in national publications. In addition to baseball, he also enjoyed running the Capital 10K for years, church basketball, and tennis. He won so many tennis trophies his children used to reconfigure them into towers. Instead of making a normal snowman in Sedalia, his snowman held a tennis racket.

John was committed to his faith in Jesus Christ and teaching the Bible. He taught middle school boys Sunday School in Sedalia. In Austin, he led Bible study for college students, adults, and international residents for decades. John was a spiritual leader in his home. He encouraged his family to love Jesus and lead by example. A Bible verse that reminds us of John is Proverbs 3:5, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding."

John is survived by his loving wife of 55 1/2 years, Nancy Miller of Bryan, son, Kit Miller of Austin, daughter, Andrea Gatlin, and husband, Coley of College Station. Brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law, Tony and Tricia Boyd, Mike and Cindy Sanders. Grandchildren, Caroline Gatlin, Claire Gatlin, Brandt Gatlin, and Nathanael Gatlin. Numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins.

A celebration of John's life is being held at 9 a.m. at First Baptist Church of Bryan on Tuesday, October 3, 2023. The funeral is scheduled at Irving Baptist Church in Ryan, Oklahoma on Tuesday, October 10, 2023 at 11 a.m. A family lunch will follow at 12 p.m. and burial will be at the Waurika Cemetery at 1:30 p.m.

Memorial donations may be made to Gideons International online at gideons.org/donate or via mail: P.O. Box 97251 Washington, DC 20090-7251