Jacob Clay Miller
White Sulphur Springs-Jacob Clay Miller, 88, passed away Monday, Oct. 13, 2014, at the West Virginia Veterans Nursing Facility in Clarksburg, WV.
He was born in Looneyville, WV, on Jan. 29, 1926. He was the youngest son of Jesse and Minnie Miller.
Jake graduated from Spencer High School in West Virginia, enlisted in the US Navy, and became a three-war veteran. He served in the South Pacific during WWII, Korea and Vietnam. He served at many duty stations around the world before retiring from Bainbridge Naval Training Center with 22 years of distinguished service to our country.
Jake was a Little League coach and 4-H leader while his children were growing up. He spent many early hours driving children to horse shows as well as picking kids up from the ground, dusting them off and pushing them to try again. He coached basketball for several years at West Nottingham Academy.
While working and raising a family, Jake completed college with a Master’s degree from Marshall University. His talents brought him successfully through several jobs. He was an educator, salesman, carpenter, counselor, manager and an author. He coordinated the WWII ships reunion of the Fighting Foxes, sharing the history and camaraderie of those men with three generations.
Jake was an avid gardener known to many for his green thumb. There are plants in gardens all over West Virginia, Maryland and Virginia that came from Jake’s garden. He loved to work with wood as well and his children benefited from his talents with beautiful pieces of furniture.
A published author, who was selfless in this endeavor, he had all proceeds from his books donated to scholarships for descendants of the Fighting Foxes. Much of his work was centered on WWII, but he also wrote about West Virginia lore and family lineage as well.
Jake was predeceased by his wife of 63 years, Daphne Cowell Miller; daughter, Teresa Waid; and son, John Miller.
He is survived by: three daughters and sons-in-law, Linda and Tim Blakeley, Jose and Dan Delp and Jean Miller and Mike Fisher; six grandchildren, John Blakeley, Caitlin Blankenship and husband James, Julia Delp, Jessica Tillett and husband Kris, Seneca Fisher and Alden Fisher; and five great-grandchildren, Amelia, James, Lucas, Isaac and Miles.
The family is grateful for the support and care given by the West Virginia Veterans Nursing Facility and the Amedisys Hospice.
A memorial service will be held at R.T. Foard Funeral Home P. A., 111 S. Queen Street, Rising Sun, MD 21911, Saturday, Oct. 18, at 11 a.m.
Burial will follow at Brookview Cemetery in Maryland.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made payable to the Navy Marine Corps Relief Society at https://nmcrs.org.
Online condolences may be sent to DavisFuneralHomeWV.com. Davis is honored to be assisting the Miller family.
