James Gary Miller

Gary Miller, 73, of Macon, MS passed away at Rush Hospital in Meridian on Wednesday, December 23, 2020. A memorial service was held at Salem Cemetery near Macon on Saturday December 26, 2020 with Bro Sean Greer officiating.  Memorials may be made to Concord Baptist Church, c/o Kay Papas, 187 West St., Macon, MS  39341. Cockrell Funeral Home of Macon is honored to have been entrusted with the service arrangements.

James Gary Miller was born on December 31, 1946 to the late Thurston and Johnnie Nell Sanders Miller. He was a graduate of Noxubee High School and East Mississippi Junior College and was a member of the U.S. Army National Guard from 1966 until 1980.

He married the love of his life, Lynn Hightower, on June 21, 1967 and began working at Four County Electric Power Association in 1975. In January, 1980 Gary suffered a terrible accident at work that left him a triple amputee. After suffering these terrific injuries that would have defeated many other men, with God’s help,  Gary attacked his disability with a determination to overcome his disabilities and not let them define his life. Each day was a struggle, but his determination continually showed through. He never gave up and never gave an inch. He loved farming and did row crop farming before turning to timber farming and raising hay. Gary raised pure Bermuda Grass hay, which is much in demand and kept him busy from early spring to the final cutting in the fall. With two prosthetic legs and one prosthetic arm, he could (and did) operate any piece of equipment on the farm. Gary was always willing to help anyone in need. He often hired young people to help on the farm and there have been many testimonials to the trust and responsibility that Gary gave these young men. His leadership as an employer has helped many of them succeed in their own lives. Gary enjoyed traveling and camping in his fifth wheel RV and fishing.  He loved Concord Baptist Church, his life-long church and led the choir for many years, both in regular services and in the Christmas cantatas. He was also very  involved in community and civic organizations. He was a member of the Macon Lion’s Club where he served as secretary and treasurer and was involved with their annual bar-be-que event for over 30 years. Gary was always willing to talk about his prosthetics to anyone and would encourage other amputees at the prosthetics clinic to not give up. He was often called by the clinic to speak to those who were having difficulty dealing with the process. Gary was preceded in death by his parents and two brothers: Johnny Miller and Kenny Miller.

Gary is survived by his wife, Lynn Miller; siblings, Diane Miller Ricks and Mike Miller, also his special pet, Oreo.