Larry Wayne Miller

Larry Wayne Miller, Sr., of Oakland, TN, died Monday, March 7, 2022 after a brief illness. He was 78.

Born in Bonny Blue, Lee County, VA on April 12, 1943, he was the youngest son of Charles Houston Miller and Bessie Walter (Doughty) Miller. The family relocated to Oak Ridge, TN in 1943, where Charles worked security for the top-secret Manhattan Project and Bessie was a homemaker, raising eight children. Larry was predeceased by his brothers, Roland and Houston, his sisters, Betty, Marge, and Francis, and his oldest son, Larry Jr.

Larry married his high school sweetheart, Regina Rose (Freeman), in 1976, and the couple have resided in Oakland since 2013. He is survived by sisters, Sue Portwood and Virginia (Ginny) Cook, his sons, Walter Dale Miller and David Scott Miller, his daughter, Laura Regina Connolly, granddaughters, Brittany Nicole Miller, Amber Marie (Miller) Smith, Danielle Alexis Miller, Darla Nicole Miller, Carrington Rose Regina Connolly, grandson, Lochlann Craig Connolly, as well as many nieces and nephews.

In the words of Frank Sinatra, Larry did things his way right until the end. An avid golfer known for his quick wit, a host of “little known facts”, and for making killer divinity fudge, Larry is also credited as the inventor of the Dad Joke in 1963. He loved to laugh and to make others laugh, and he is probably chuckling to himself in heaven over that last one. He loved telling “true stories” and the yearly family trips to Disney, where his favorite rides were Tower of Terror, Haunted Mansion, Carousel of Progress and The Hall of Presidents (the last two because they were the best places to take naps). He is the reigning Champion of the Houston Miller Memorial Horseshoe Tournament from the Real Miller Family Reunion and has stated that he should have not even played, since he had no room for any more trophies.

Playing cards was a hobby he enjoyed, and games of Shanghai Rummy could become hotly contested at the Miller homestead, with Larry usually ending up on top (and not just because he also kept score). Spending time with family was his absolute favorite pastime, however, and you would always find him at one event or another; whether it was a dance recital, school play, jiu-jitsu, softball, soccer, or just sitting and eating lunch with his grandkids, he loved being around them.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to St. Francis of Assisi Catholic School, 2100 North Germantown Parkway, Cordova, TN 38016.

Family and friends honored and remembered Larry’s life by gathering for a Receiving of Friends on Monday, March 14, 2022 at 2:00 p.m. at the Peebles West Funeral Chapel located at 10670 U.S. Highway 64, Somerville, TN. The Memorial Service began at 3:00 p.m. Graveside services will take place in Rockwood, TN this summer.