Vernon Miller

Vernon J. Miller, 87, of Jackson passed away Wednesday, Oct. 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 Sept. 29, 1962, at Trinity Lutheran Church in Shawneetown.

Vernon honorably served in the U.S. Army from Oct. 10, 1955, to Oct. 9, 1958. He then worked at McDonnell Douglas in St. Louis and Rhodes Oil Co. in Advance, Missouri. 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 was 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, SEMO District Fair since 1988 and Jackson Exchange Bank. Other affiliations included Jackson Optimist Club, Egypt Mills Antique Club, Southeast Missouri Extension Council and SEMO District Fair Association since 1972.

He took the 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, and Mason Britt of Eureka; 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.

Vernon was preceded in death by his parents; three siblings, Frieda (Paul) Bitterman and Kenneth and Freeman Miller; Eileen's parents, Fred and Edna Fiedler Wachter; and her siblings, Edgar Wachter and Evelyn Allers.

Visitation will be from 3 to 7 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 8, at McCombs Funeral Home and Cremation Center in Jackson and from 10 a.m. to service time Monday, Oct. 9, at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Jackson.

The Rev. Joshua Schmidt will conduct the funeral at 11 a.m. Monday, Oct. 9, 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 www.mccombsfuneralhome.com.