Jeffrey A. Miller

Jeffrey Auston Miller was born November 2, 1961 in Nashville, TN, to William and Grace Miller.
He spent the early part of his life in various communities in Oklahoma. He moved frequently when he was very young, attending 5 schools in his first 3 grades. Jeff and his mother settled in Jet, Oklahoma where he attended school from the fourth grade until his graduation in 1980. Attributes that built the foundation of the man Jeff would become were forged in the fires of hard work and determination he displayed during his formative years. Mowing lawns and working odd jobs as a young boy, Jeff moved on to the rigors of farm work as a young teenager. In high school he was an excellent athlete who excelled in all sports and became very involved in Vocational Agriculture.
Despite humble beginnings, Jeff was determined to find a way to further his education after high school. He credited his high school vocational agriculture teacher, as well as coaches and teachers at Jet, with giving him the tools and support to achieve his dream. Those educators also had a strong bearing on Jeff’s career plans. He attended Northeastern A&M in Miami, Oklahoma on an Agriculture Judging Scholarship, and after two years went on to his beloved Oklahoma State University on another Agriculture Judging Scholarship graduatiing with a degree in Vocational Agriculture. He obtained this degree because of the influence of his high school Vo-Ag teacher, and other teachers and coaches from Jet. It was this influence that caused him to pursue a career in education.
Jeff was hired by Lawton Public Schools immediately upon graduation from OSU. There he built a very successful 25-year career teaching at McArthur and Lawton High Schools, eventually becoming head of the Lawton Vo-Ag department. His judging teams experienced great success culminating with back-to-back national championship teams that took him and his students to Europe.
Jeff claimed that in the fifth grade he fell in love for life with Kimberly Castle, also from Jet. He married Kim in 1987 and they welcomed their beloved son, Tyler, in 1993.
One of Jeff’s greatest joys was sharing his love of sports with Tyler, coaching in little league baseball and basketball. In 2009, after Tyler’s ninth grade year, they moved to Claremore to be closer to family. Jeff enjoyed following Tyler’s success in high school baseball as well as the work and relationships he built working as a specialist in the College and Career Readiness Department at Tulsa Public Schools.
Jeff, Kim and Tyler enjoyed following their beloved OSU Cowboys, rarely missing home football games and other events. He was a Cowboy to the core, and his voice will be missed as the Pokes travel to the Cotton Bowl later this week.
Jeff Miller will be remembered as a devoted father and husband and as an irreplaceable influence in the lives of the family that loved him, including sisters-in-law, brothers-in-law, and his beloved nieces and nephews and great nieces and nephews.
He is survived by his wife Kimberly and son Tyler; father William Miller, father- in-law L.E. Castle, brother Bill Miller, sisters in-law Christie Ballard and her husband Keith of Claremore, Jean Tarrant and husband Doug of Houston, and Janet Roper of Austin, TX, and numerous aunts, uncles, nieces, and nephews.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Lawton FFA, Miller Scholarship Fund, 4400 E. Gore Blvd., Lawton, OK 73501.