Welcome to Ray Miller’s Memorial. On December 30, 2020, the family of Ray Miller gathered at Mueller-Bies Funeral Home & Forest Lawn Cemetery for his funeral & burial.
We gather by Zoom on Epiphany, Wednesday, January 6, 2021 at 5:30 pm for a time of Remembrance and Thanksgiving for the Life of Raymond Lawrence Miller.
If you cannot join in by Zoom at that time, watch anytime here and feel welcome to share this video with Ray’s circle of family, friends and all who loved him.
Join Zoom Memorial by clicking on this link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/
You shouldn’t need to enter the ID & Password, but just in case:
Meeting ID: 829 5388 2911
Password: 748037
For phone users, dial by your location (dialing in allows listening, speaking but not visuals):
+1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
Eulogy
Raymond Lawrence Miller was born in Belle Plaine, Minnesota to Augusta (Bahr) and George Miller. Ray was one of seven siblings and grew up on a farm with a beloved dog, a black lab named “Shep.” He completed school and German school in the 8th grade, and this skinny young man went to work with George at the bakery early each morning. He met Frances dancing at the Idle Hour on Saturday nights. They married at Christ Lutheran Church, where she had been raised, in 1939. They welcomed three children: Gerry (1939), Dick (1943) and Lynn (1947), all raised at Christ Lutheran. During those same years, Ray also served as a baker in the Navy, stationed in Oklahoma (1944-1946).
Ray later worked at Brown & Bigelow printer, and finally, he served as a custodian for Roseville Area Schools from which he received his pension. He loved to take family up to Lake of the Woods for fishing trips. He was a very patient fisherman. Ray could really handle a boat and they caught a lot of walleye. Billie’s son Caden treasures and uses great-grandpa’s tackle box, still good after all these years.
Ray and Fran loved to host parties in their finished basement with the Jukebox playing tunes. They loved to dance, and Fran was a good cook. She would make a pork roast and a beef roast with the best gravy. The family would gather for meals where nobody went away hungry, and Christmas parties at their house on Roselawn in Maplewood are treasured memories. Ray lost Fran, the love of his life, when she died in 1988.
After Fran’s death, Ray began racing cars with Dick, and he described this passion that he and Dick shared as something that “saved his life.” At age 87, Ray won his first trophy, gaining his nickname “Racin’ Ray.”
Ray was involved at Christ Lutheran Church on Capitol Hill over the years, participating in bus trips and lunches with the pastors. He was independent but enjoyed community. When he moved out of his own home at age 99(!), we shared memories together and as he moved into New Perspectives, he enjoyed the meals together with his new cronies. Ray enjoyed Christ’s annual Christmas caroling visits and every visit from family and friends. Lynn was able to be with Ray each day of the last week of his life and he died on Christmas morning.
Ray loved his family and will be remembered by children, Gerald, Richard (Coreen), Lynn (John) Stumpf; grandchildren, Jeff, Tim (Brenda), Lisa Yankovec, Beth, Billie (Jerry) Huelsnitz; great-grandchildren, Brianna (Louis) Nistler, Janelle Pflager, Frankie and Andrew Miller, McKenna, Kylie and Caden Huelsnitz; great-great grandchildren, Nolan Nistler, Finn and Tali Pflager. He is also loved and remembered by many more family and friends.
Blessed be the memory of Ray Miller, beloved child of God.
