Eugene Miller

Born to Irene (Dolle) and Herman Joseph (Happy) Miller on December 11th, 1931, into a devout Catholic family, on a cotton farm near Littlefield, Texas, Eugene James Miller experienced life to its fullest until his death on August 23rd, 2020 in Temple, TX. The cotton farm gave him opportunities to build “luxuries” such as pieced together bicycles during the post-depression years. These experiences came in handy after his Air Force years.

He served as a cryptographer for the Air Force during the Korean War. Having met the girl of his dreams, he asked almost 18-year-old Betty Lois (Green) to come marry him in London, England, to which she agreed as did her father who granted permission to the young couple. They were married on May 1st, 1953.

After his service in the Air Force, Gene saw an opportunity to go to Texas Tech. With an infant daughter in tow, second child on the way, and GI bill in hand they worked their way to a Bachelor of Science in Petroleum Engineering. He spent more than 25 years in service to Getty Oil Company, serving as an engineer and a manager. Their family of four grew to a family of seven as they moved numerous times from Texas to New Mexico to Canada then back to Texas.

When it came time to retire, Gene brought Lois back to her home roots in Temple. Active members of Saint Luke's Catholic Church, Gene spent many hours in service to the Knight of Columbus, serving as District Deputy, Faithful Navigator and multiple terms as Grand Knight. He also served faithfully at St. Vincent DePaul, and was an integral part in starting the “Christmas Presence” program and Good Friday Walk. In his free time, he enjoyed playing his accordion, playing Bridge and Gin with his favorite partner, and enjoying their family at their “Lake Lot”.

Gene and Lois welcomed each new addition to their growing family with joy currently numbering 54 members. The “love of his life” and bride, Lois, of 67 years, survives him as do their five children and spouses: Tom and Debbie (Miller) Dokupil of Temple, TX, David and Priscilla Miller of Amarillo, TX, Bob and Cindy Miller of Lake Jackson, TX, Mike and Sue (Miller) Wagner of Duncanville, TX and Jim and Ann (Miller) Byrne of Frisco, TX. Also surviving him are 19 grandchildren and 15 great grandchildren. He is also survived by his sister Mary Frances (Miller) Vivial Hammersley and Glen Miller.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent to Saint Vincent DePaul of Greater Temple, 106 Avenue D Temple, TX 76501 in honor of Gene Miller.

Visitation will be August 26th 5:00-7:00pm followed by the Rosary at 7pm at Scanio-Harper Funeral Home Chapel, 3110 Airport Rd., Temple, TX 76504.

The Funeral Mass will be at 10:00 AM August 27th at Saint Luke's Catholic Church, 2807 Oakdale Dr., Temple, TX 76502 followed immediately by interment with military honors at Saint Joseph Cemetery, Burlington, Texas.

Masks will be required, and social distancing encouraged at all services.

Those unable to attend will be able to participate virtually via Facebook live. Live streaming of services will begin at 7:00pm Wednesday evening for the Rosary and may be found at Scanio-Harper Funeral Home's Facebook page and again at 9:55am Thursday morning and may be found on St. Luke Catholic Church's Facebook page. The Committal service may be found on Scanio-Harper's page shortly following the funeral mass.