Vernon J. Miller

Vernon J. Miller, 87, of Jackson, passed away Wednesday, October 4, 2023, surrounded by family, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau.
He was born April 8, 1936, in Greenbriar, Missouri, to Denzil B. and Etta M. Garner Miller. He was a 1954 graduate of Zalma (Missouri) High School. He and Eileen Wachter were married September 29, 1962, at Trinity Lutheran Church in Shawneetown.
Vernon honorably served in the U.S. Army from October 10, 1955, to Oct. 9, 1958. He then worked at McDonnell Douglas in St. Louis and Rhodes Oil Co. in Advance, Mo. He is best remembered as general manager and executive vice president of Co-Op Service Center in Jackson, where he was employed for 40 years, retiring in 1999. He also owned and operated a family farm near Oak Ridge, where he liked to hunt and fish.
Vernon had been a member of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Jackson since 1968, where he served in multiple capacities. He served as a board member for: Missouri LP Gas Association, Missouri Fertilizer Industry; Cape County Farm Bureau, and SEMO Fair since 1988, and Jackson Exchange Bank. Other affiliations included Jackson Optimist Club, SEMO Extension Council, and SEMO Fair Association since 1972.
Vernon took greatest pleasure in being with his family. He was especially happy when he attended activities and sporting events for his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. After retirement, he enjoyed tractor restoration, going to the auction barn in Fruitland, and sharing coffee with his buddies in Jackson.
To cherish his memory, he leaves his wife of 61 years, Eileen Miller of Jackson; two children, Jerry (Stacy) Miller of Jackson, and Julie (Shannon) Britt of Eureka, Missouri; four grandchildren: Jeremy (Jessica) Miller and children Aleigh, Emma, and Blakesly of Oak Ridge; Jennifer (Pastor Ben) Waldron and son Ryder of Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin; Dillon Britt of Nashville, Tennessee; Mason Britt of Eureka, Missouri; a brother, Hershel (late Barbara) Miller of Cape Girardeau; two sisters-in-law, Doris (late Freeman) Miller of Wood River, Illinois and Kathryn (late Kenneth) Miller of Jackson; and several nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents; three siblings, Frieda (Paul) Bitterman, Kenneth and Freeman Miller; Eileen's parents, Fred and Edna Fiedler Wachter; and her siblings, Edgar Wachter and Evelyn Allers.
Visitation is from 3 to 7 p.m., Sunday, October 8, 2023, at McCombs Funeral Home and Cremation Center in Jackson, and from 10 a.m. to service time, Monday, October 9, 2023, at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Jackson.
The Rev. Joshua Schmidt will conduct the funeral service at 11 a.m., Monday, October 9, 2023, at the church. Interment will follow at Russell Heights Cemetery.
If considering a memorial, the family suggests contributions to St. Paul Lutheran Church in Jackson.
Online condolences may be sent to the family by clicking on the tribute wall tab of Vernon's obituary page at mccombsfuneralhome.com.

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