Dorothy Louise Axtell Miller

DOROTHY LOUISE AXTELL MILLER, age 90, passed away October 16, 2006 in Indianapolis, IN, at St. Vincent's Hospital after a brief illnes. She had previously lived in Jefferson City, TN for 58 years. She was born in Minneapolis on May 23, 1916, to Cora Dorothy Storms Axtell and Warren Foss Axtell, but soon move to Chicago. She was 5th in her graduating class of 845 at Carl Schurz High School and graduated as a Phi Beta Kappa from Northwestern University with a BS in foreign languages. She worked as an editor for Scott Foresman and Co. in dictionaries and foreigh language for eight ears to help her family recover from the Great Depression. In 1945, she married Howard William Miller, moved to Virginia briefly and then to Tennessee, following his career in geology. After her children were grown, she worked as a tutor and instructor in the languate lab at Carson Newman College and later was Assistant Princiap at Jefferson Elementary School. She never lost her love of languages and grammar and was constantly intrigued by the origin of words and names and was an amazing cross-work puzzle solver. Because of the kindnesses and generosity of friends who helped her survive the Great Depression and even helped provide her college education, throughout her life she was always thinking of others ahead of herself and giving back to those less fortunate. She helped organize the original church-wide effort to provide Thanksgiving and Christmas food baskets in Jefferson City. She helped identify families in need and connect them with financial resources or even help them herself. For this work over many years, she was named Woman of the Year in 1965 in Jefferson City for unselfish devotion to needy families and participation in all phases of civic activity. She was active in her church and a choir member, pianist and Sunday School teacher in the First Presbyterian Church for 25 years and subsequently transferred to the First Baptist Church for the last 30 years. Although she moved to Indianapolis in February 2006 to be near her daughter, she was constantly grateful for the overwhelming friendship, love, and support of the people of Jefferson City and especially the First Baptist Church. She was preceded in death by her husband of 51 years, Howard Willima Miller, and special friend, Dr. Carl Tabb Bahner, and is survived by her children, William (Barbara) Miller of Alexandria, VA, and Jean Miller (Gerald Thompson) of Indianapolis, IN; brother, Alan (Betty) Axtell of Medford, OR sister-in-law, Helen Jane Mummery of Colorado Springs; grandchildren, Elizabeth (Steve) Williams, Michael and Steven Miller and Lauren Thompson, Eric, Neil (Talia) and Luke Thompson; several cousins, nieces and nephews. The memorial service will be held at 11:00 a.m. Saturday, October 21, 2006 at the First Baptist Church of Jefferson City with the Rev. James Dampier officiating.Interment at Jefferson Memorial Gardens will follow. The family will receive friends from 6:00 until 8:00 p.m. Friday at Farrar Funeral Home in Jefferson City and at 10:00 a.m. at the church preceding the ceremony. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Senior Adult Ministry of First Baptist Church of Jefferson City, 1610 Russell Avenue, Jefferson City, TN 37760. ARRANGEMENTS BY FARRAR FUNERAL HOME IN JEFFERSON CITY, TN (865) 475-3892