Exceeding Joy

Merry Christmas! Episode 24 is a special tribute to Melvin Miller, my maternal grandfather. One year ago, I officially kicked off my podcast journey with this first interview of my grandfather, who I call "Pa." We originally planned to do several interviews for a series about his life, but those plans were interrupted, like so many in 2020, when Pa quietly passed away in June. Today you will hear snapshots from Melvin's early years, which formed many of the values I have come to appreciate and seek to emulate: his work ethic, his views on money, his love for family, and his deep and abiding faith. I hope you'll enjoy this more personal look into my life through the eyes of my grandfather.

The following are excerpts from his obituary written by my aunt, Lisa Ballou.

"In an early, quiet hour of Tuesday, June 2nd, Melvin N. Miller, age 89, passed away at his home in Douglassville, Pennsylvania with an unassailable conviction that his faith would safeguard his journey beyond this life and that he was joining his beloved wife, Betty, and his savior, Jesus Christ, in eternal rest.

"Melvin was born on September 27th, 1930 in New Berlinville, Pennsylvania. He served as a Master Sergeant in the National Guard and graduated from Boyertown High in 1948. Melvin was proud of the farming skills he cultivated in his youth. He channeled his deep reverence for nature into a professional career as a purchaser and seller of wood. Boyertown Casket Company, York Casket Company, Mann & Parker Lumber, and Bally Block Company all benefited from his practical knowledge, tactical skills, and ever-present charm.

". . . He was as forthcoming with his praise and thankfulness as he was with his material possessions. In his early adult life, he was honored to donate his services to the Free & Accepted Masons of Columbus, Ohio and later to the Lions Club International in Bally, Pennsylvania. He was a proud, active member of both the St. John Hill U.C.C. and St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in Boyertown. His tenor voice rang jubilantly both in the choir and in the congregation.

". . . Melvin was deeply devoted to his wife of 65 years, Elizabeth Jean Fitts Miller. He doted upon her until her death in 2017. . . ."

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