James Edward Miller

James Edward Miller, 82, a resident of StillWaters in Dadeville, Alabama, passed on June 30, 2022, following a brief illness. He was preceded in death by his son Michael Edward Miller , daughter Deborah Elaine “Debbie” Miller, and parents Edward Gustave and Orpha Marie “Jimmie” DeVilbiss Miller. He is survived by his wife of 58 years, Diane Moon Miller, daughter-in-law Heather Marie Miller, granddaughter Rose Marie Elizabeth Miller, brother Richard Eugene Miller, and many loving in-laws, nieces and nephews, cousins, and friends.

Jim grew up in Lafayette, Louisiana, and attended Hamilton Training School and Lafayette High School. He expressed particular appreciation to the music teachers, scout leaders, coaches, and others who influenced his early years. He earned a BS in Math and Physics from the University of Louisiana, Lafayette, and was awarded a National Defense Education Act Fellowship for graduate work. He earned the MS in Math from Auburn University and the PhD in Computer Science from the University of Louisiana, Lafayette.

Jim was employed by IBM in Birmingham for several years, and then began his college teaching career at the University of West Florida, where he rose to the chairmanship of Systems Science, a multifaceted computer science related department. After serving at West Florida for 18 years, he accepted the chairmanship of the Computer Science Department at the University of Southern Mississippi, where he served for an additional 20 years. He was proud to serve his country as an active reservist while he educated young people and lent his expertise to numerous projects at Stennis Space Center. He edited an academic journal, the ACM SIGCSE Bulletin for more than 30 years, and for that and other service he was awarded a lifetime service award by the Association for Computing Machinery, one of only four ever before awarded.

He loved music, especially playing the violin and choral singing, most recently with Red Ridge United Methodist Church choir, special programs for Auburn United Methodist Church, and East Alabama Civic Chorale. He loved to travel, having visited 44 countries, 9 territories, and all 50 states. He loved learning, from studying the classics and theology when he taught computer ethics to vowing to master the theories of quantum physics just this year. He loved people, and found much to appreciate in everyone, regardless of their appearance or status in life. He was an upbeat counter of blessings, quietly humorous yet sometimes whooping with laughter. He was a man of deep thoughts and few words, deep affections and few dislikes.

A memorial service is planned for 11:00 am on Saturday, July 9 at Red Ridge United Methodist Church, 8091 County Road 34, Dadeville, Alabama. Visitation will take place preceding the service at 10 am in the fellowship hall. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to Red Ridge UMC, to East Alabama Food Bank, or to Dadeville Performing Arts Center.