A private memorial service with family and friends has been held for 90-year old Gerald “Jerry” Miller of Topeka, KS.
Memorial contributions may be made to: I Care, Inc. Food Pantry, 2914 SE Michigan Ave, Topeka, KS 66605.
To leave a special message for the family online, visit www.DoveTopeka.com.
Gerald “Jerry” Alva Miller was born Nov 1, 1932, in Crawford, NE, the son of Alva Leland and Rachel Edna (Hawthorne) Miller. He passed away Friday, May 12, 2023.
Jerry attended grades 1-8 in the one-room Hardscrabble school near his parents’ farm about 20 miles from Chadron, NE. Jerry later chronicled the more than 100-year history of the school in a book, “History of Hardscrabble School – 1887-2000” co-written with classmate Carol Lange Doyle.
Jerry then attended Chadron High School, which presented an adjustment from his rural school – going from about 7 students across all grades to more than 200 in the high school.
Because of the lack of transportation, during the week he lived with his grandmother in town and then returned to the farm each weekend to rejoin his parents and brother, Marvin.
After high school, Jerry attended Chadron State College and graduated in 1954 with majors in Industrial Arts and Mathematics. Jerry later received a master’s degree in Educational Psychology and Guidance from the University of Kansas.
Maintaining his life-long commitment to the teachings of his Quaker faith, he was a conscientious objector instead of serving in the military.
He volunteered for two years of alternative service (1-W Service) and worked in the accounting department of Topeka State Hospital, where he met others who shared his commitment to pacifism, many of whom became life-long friends.
He later was appointed to serve on the local Selective Service Board, where he capably provided his guidance and expertise for many years.
Jerry met his future wife, Helen Williams, through mutual friends and after their first date at a rodeo in Crawford and a summer romance, they maintained a long-distance relationship while Helen completed her university education and taught in Seattle, WA, while Jerry began his teaching career in Topeka.
They were married on June 28, 1957, at the First Free Methodist Church in Salina, KS, and Helen’s father, Rev Charles G Williams, co-officiated at their wedding.
After settling in Topeka following their wedding, Jerry taught math and industrial arts at Roosevelt Junior High for ten years, followed by teaching math and serving as a school counselor at Crane Junior High for two years.
During this time, they were blessed by the arrival of their son, David, in August 1958 and their daughter, Sharon, in January 1962.
Overall, Gerald’s career in education spanned 37 years with the Topeka Public Schools (USD #501) and his leadership was recognized with his election as the President of the Topeka Teachers Association in 1967-1968.
Jerry also served on the Board of Directors of the Kansas-National Education Association from 1969-1975. In 1968, he joined the USD #501 central planning team as the Director of Demographic Services, remaining in this position until his retirement in 1993.
Throughout his tenure, Jerry worked to modernize student recordkeeping from paper to electronic data. As a result of his efforts, he was able to provide the Board with the demographic analysis of student enrollment characteristics and prepare revised attendance maps.
His work had a profound long-term impact on ensuring balance in Topeka school demographics to achieve the court-ordered desegregation remedies set for the school district in the Brown v. Board of Education case, and subsequent court cases.
In his 70 years as a resident of Topeka, he provided leadership and impacted the Topeka community through his service on a variety of boards, including the United Way of Greater Topeka, Community Resources Council, Stormont-Vail Hospital Advisory Committee, Kansas Blue Cross-Blue Shield Subscriber’s Council.
He was also President of the Spring Hill neighborhood’s Homeowners Association and served on the Executive Board of Topeka Youth for Christ/Campus Life from 1964-1984 and for the O’Connell Youth Ranch near Lawrence.
Jerry was among the founding members of the Topeka Friends Church and faithfully served the church in many capacities, including as Treasurer for more than 25 years.
For the past 35 years, he and Helen have been members of the Southern Hills Mennonite Church and participated in many roles including assisting with a major building renovation, serving as Sunday School teacher and volunteering for Meals on Wheels and the I Care Food Pantry.
In both churches, they formed many strong friendships and were very active in church governance.
In their retirement, Jerry and Helen enjoyed their time with their children and their families, spending time watching their grandchildren at softball games, theater and music concerts, graduations and award ceremonies – as well as playing many games of Rook and Scrabble, and making crafts in Jerry’s workshop.
They also enjoyed travels around the US and abroad including cruises to Alaska, Hawaii, the Great Lakes, and Scandinavian countries of Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Finland.
During their time in Sweden, Jerry was able to pursue one of his hobbies by tracing his family genealogy of Swedish ancestors in local church and village records.
His field work during this trip augmented his detailed work documented in his published family history books, reflecting both his maternal and paternal family genealogy (“History of the SvenssonSkoglund-Smith Family: From Sweden to the American Plains 1847-1992” and “Hawthorne Heritage and History from Pennsylvania Westward – 1774-2006“).
He was zealous in the maintenance of family records and was instrumental in connecting family members across the miles by collecting and printing twice-yearly family newsletters for both the Smith Family and the Hawthorne Family.
He was an active member of the Topeka Genealogy Society and the Kansas State Historical Society. He was also an avid antique tool collector and many a weekend he and Helen could be found at auctions and antique stores searching for the perfect Stanley plane!
Our family has benefited from his woodworking skills with hand-crafted furniture pieces and he was always willing to lend a hand on construction or other repair projects whether around the house or with the church or various non-profit groups.
Last year, he and Helen celebrated 65 years of marriage and their many years together were a testament of their devotion to each other, their love of family and their shared faith. They made many new friends and rekindled relationships with other friends when they moved to Brewster Place in 2020.
As all who knew Gerald, he knew no strangers, only friends he had not yet met! In Gerald’s world, the standard of “six degrees of separation” could usually be winnowed down to “two degrees” by the time he had inquired about an individual’s hometown, parents, relatives, and interests.
His ability to make connections and his demonstrated enjoyment of meeting others and learning their life stories was his hallmark.
In addition to Helen, Gerald is survived by his son, David (Jennie) Miller of Topeka, and their children, Lesley (Reuben) Bretey and granddaughter, Ella, of Olathe, KS, and Melissa Miller of Nashville, TN; Sharon (Brent) Shoemaker of Rehoboth Beach, DE and their children, Steven Bower of Reston, VA, Line Bower of Chicago, IL, Brook (Sarah) Shoemaker of Mannsville, NY, Emma Shoemaker of Canton, MA, and Paige Shoemaker of Washington, DC; and brother, Marvin Miller of Arvada, CO. He was preceded in death by his parents.
Dove Cremations and Funerals, Southwest Chapel in Topeka is assisting the family