Sunday, March 22, 2009

The Celebration of Grandpa Miller's 93 Years of Life...

This is the first time Malaena-Sloan visited Grandpa. I had taken her about 3 weeks before he passed away to the nursing home to visit him. She knew he was a kind man as she would always perform for him!
My Grandpa with all his (living)kids Christmas 2007.My Uncle Tom and Uncle Carol had preceded him in death.
This was March 19th. This isn't the end, but ONLY the beginning for Grandpa Miller!!! It was a clear beautiful day when we buried Grandpa's body, but I know it doesn't compare to what my Grandpa was experiencing in HEAVEN!!!
My Grandpa truly was a simple man. This was what the ice storm did to his home the end of January. When I was a child, on Sunday afternoons we went to Grandpa's house. ALL THIS KIDS CAME TO THIS SMALL TRAILER. There were 9 kids that lived in the area and they all went to Grandpa's with their kids. I loved it!!! I went inside the small home on Friday, and it was odd seeing it without any furniture because it seemed so small. I never remember feeling crowded with 50 or more people in it!
This is the siding on the home where my mom was raised. All her brothers and sisters had carved their initials in the siding when they were kids, then us grandkids did it. These are my brother's initials (Billy Fortner.)

Grandpa Miller passed away Tuesday, March 17, 2009, at 9:20pm. He had been brought to Cape to Southeast Hospital because he had flu like stuff going on. I got to the hospital about 20 minutes after he went to be with Jesus. I had been to Brock's band concert. He will surely be missed, but I am so thankful that he didn't suffer!
My Cousin, Angie Graham Fay, wrote this and it says it all:
The Clarence Miller I Knew

Like many who came here today, I am here to honor my grandfather’s life while mourning his passing.

Clarence Miller was a man I called Grandpa and a man whom I held in the highest regards. Grandpa was a simple man with extremely high values. He was a family man who believed in putting his family first. When your day of labor was over, there was no sitting around chatting with others, it was time to go home and be with your family. He believed in a hard day of labor for a good days pay. He had high moral values. He believed in honesty even when it was hard to be honest.

Grandpa didn’t own much and if he were here today he would tell you what he did own was like him, pretty worn out. Even so, he believed you should do your best to take care of what you had and be proud of it.

One of Grandpa’s most cherished items, I believe was his FAMILY. His children will tell you he was a very strict father and ruled with an iron fist. He believed there was a right way and a wrong way and there was very little room for anything in the middle. He believed the wrong way would only lead to physical and financial harm and he always encouraged his family to take the right path.

I heard him on many occasions expressing his concern for different members of our family and the ordeals they were going through. You could hear the worry and concern in his voice. He would tell me that God could change anything and if we miss heaven we will miss it all.

Grandpa was a God-fearing man. He believed any vow before God was sacred and one should do whatever possible to keep that promise. He was never keen on divorce and he believed if you helped bear a child, you were obligated to raise and love that child to the best of your ability.

Grandpa was quite a kidder. He loved to tease and laugh with others. Grandpa was hard to beat. He made the best of what he had and believed one should always do right by ones family and friends.

I thank God for this man and hope I can honor his life by trying to continue to follow his life’s lessons. I cry for our loss but in reality we should be rejoicing, for today he walks with our lord.

Until we meet with you again Grandpa, you will be missed and will always be loved.

4 comments:

Suzanne said...

Thank you for sharing with us about your grandfather. I'm sorry hear of his passing. I rejoice knowing that another is spending eternity with the lord.

My thoughts and prayers are with your family

Anonymous said...

Sorry to hear about the passing of your grandfather! What sweet memories you have shared with us!
He is dancing with the angels in heaven!

Susie said...

You are so much like your Grandfather, I love you Sissy.

Pineapple Princess said...

How did I miss this post?
I am so sorry to hear about your grandfather's homegoing. It is so comforting to hear that he got his reward... eternal life with Jesus in Heaven.
What a legacy he has left for all of you. You have such a blessed family. Thank you for sharing those precious pictures!

With love,
Stacy