Mary Lou Miller

Published 12:00 am Sunday, July 4, 2010

NATCHEZ — Services for Mary Lou McKeel Miller, who died Friday, July 2, 2010, at her residence, will be at 2 p.m. Monday at First Baptist Church with Dr. Doug Broome officiating.

Burial will follow at the Natchez City Cemetery under the direction of Laird Funeral Home.

Visitation will begin one hour before service time at the church.

Mrs. Miller was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. J.N. McKeel of Ada, Okla., where she and her brother Cameron grew up. She has childhood friends from Oklahoma and they have continued this friendship throughout their lives with many phone calls and occasional visits.

She attended Oklahoma A&M College in Stillwater, where she earned a degree in home economics education. While in college, she met her future husband, Coyne Connell Miller Jr., who was at that time a student in the School of Veterinary Medicine. They married in 1954 at First Baptist Church, Allen, Okla., where she and her family lived.

The Millers continued their education until graduating in 1956 and moving to Natchez, where Dr. Miller built the Natchez Veterniary Clinic. Mrs. Miller was his “nurse” at the clinic until their first child was born in 1958.

She was actively involved in every aspect of running the clinic and he would sometimes call her at home and say, “Lou, I need you out here to help me operate on this animal.” The cake in the oven would have to come out, or the sewing machine would have to stop, and she would go.

Mrs. Miller took great interest in her children’s activities, including piano lessons, basketball and baseball games. They were also involved in church activities, which she considered to be very important for them.

Mrs. Miller was also involved in church activities and served more than 30 years in the church library.

Her main focus in life was taking care of family as wife and mother.

She was preceded in death by one baby girl, Melinda Lou Miller, who died in infancy.

Survivors include her husband; four children, Lacie Elizabeth Miller Gorder and husband Joe of San Antonio, Cheryl Leigh Miller of Houston, Texas, twins, James Davidson Miller and wife Kimberly of Dallas and Coyne Connell Miller III and wife Brandae of Natchez; five grandchildren, Casey and Allison Gorder of Houston, Logan and Lauren Miller of Dallas and Cade Miller of Natchez; and numerous friends in Natchez and scattered all over the United States, Scotland, Switzerland and Germany.

Pallbearers will be John M. Leckie, Paul Allen, Bill Rice, Richard Lambert, William Mullins, Charles Fisher II, Harold House and Lynwood Easterling.

Memorials may be made to First Baptist Church, Natchez, or to a charity of your choice.

Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.lairdfh.com.