Mary was the mother of 13 children. Most of the family lived in or near Tahoka, Texas, in Lynn County (S of Lubbock). James and Mary died from burns, after a gas stove explosion caused their house to burn down. Mary had 2nd & 3rd Degree burns on her face, head, back, arms, hands & legs. They are buried in the same grave.

Source: "Lubbock Avalanche", dated 1 Novemer, 1953 (copy of newspaper article furnished to Gary Miller by Miller family member in 1995:

"AGED COUPLE DIE FROM BURNS RECEIVED IN SUNDAY EXPLOSION

An explosion early Sunday morning at the home of Mr. and Mrs. J.M. Miller, aged 83 and 81, respectively, resulted in death from burns of Mrs. Miller at 1:30 p.m. Monday and of Mr. Miller at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday in Tahoka Hospital.

Joint funeral services for the aged couple, who lived on South Sweet Street, the O'Donnell Highway, were held Thursday at 2:00 p.m. in the First Methodist Church, with the pastor, Rev. J.H. Sharp, officiating, assisted by Rev. Lee Ramsour, pastor of the First Baptist Church, and Rev. Gene Moore, pastor of the Nazarene Church. Burial followed in Tahoka Cemetery under direction of Stanley Jones Funeral Home.

The fatal explosion occured at about 6 a.m. Sunday in the couple's two-room home near the A.G. Freeman Grocery. Mrs. Miller is believed to have gotten up to light a heater, and it is presumed that the first match she struck blew out without the heater being lighted and the explosion occurred when she lit a second match.

Mrs. Miller received third degree burns over her entire body. Mr. Miller had burns on the head, face, arm, and hands, and parts of his legs. They were rushed to Tahoka Hospital, where everything possible was done to save their lives. That Mrs. Miller could not live was apparent from the outset, but Mr. Miller, not so badly burned, lived until Wednesday.

The explosion blew out two windows of the house and set fire to the wall calendars, pictures, etc, but Mr. and Mrs. L.C. Whiteley, who live nearby and who were first on the scene grabbed a garden hose and extinguished the fire.

Mrs. Minne Conwill, who also lives nearby, summoned the fire department, after giving assistance to Mr. and Mrs. Miller. She said she was awakened by screams, dressed quickly, and ran to the Millers, whom she saw in their front yard, their clothing on fire, calling for help. Mr. and Mrs. Freeman also arrived about this time. Mrs. Conwill threw her robe around Mrs. Miller to muffle the flames, and the three tore most of the remaining unburned clothing from the couple.

Though the couple had lived here just about ten years, they had made many friends, and the tragedy was a great shock to the community."

Source: "Lubbock Avalanche", dated 1 November, 1953 (copy of newspaper article furnished to Gary Miller by Miller family source 1995):

"TWO HURT IN LYNN BLAST

Tahoka, Nov. 1--An elderly Tahoka couple was critically burned in a gas heater explosion shortly before 6 a.m. Sunday, in the couple's two room house behind a south Sweet St. grocery store here.

Mr. and Mrs. J.M. Miller, 84 and 82 respectively, were in critical condition in Tahoka Hospital late Sunday from burns received in the explosion....

....Mrs. Conwill said she was awakened by screams coming from the Miller home, and throwing a robe over her nightclothes, rushed to the scene of the accident. She said that the Millers were in their front yard, their clothes on fire, screaming for help. 'It was awful, just beyond words,' Mrs. Conwill said. 'The flesh on their arms was burned so deep and was just hanging down.'

Mrs. Conwill said she threw her robe over Mrs. Miller to muffle the flames, while Mr. and Mrs. Freeman, who had arrived at the scene about the same time, tore the burning clothes from Miller. The Whiteleys also helped pull the clothes off the burned couple. They said that they couldn't understand how the Millers had managed to get outside their house.

BLAST SHOOK NEIGHBORHOOD

Mrs. Conwill said that what clothes she and the other neighbors didn't pull off, burned before they could put out the flames.

The explosion shook houses in the entire block. Firemen arrived after the fire was extinguished. The gas was still flowing from the heater when the first persons arrived.

The Millers, who lived alone in the house, came to Tahoka ten years ago from Childress. They have several children living in Tahoka. Mrs. Miller is Mrs. Freeman's sister. The couple rented their home from Freeman, owner of the grocery store behind which the house is located."

Source: Commemorative Poem, Author Unknown (copy furnished to Gary Miller by Miller family member, 1995) from Funeral Service for Mary Josephine Furr and James Monroe Miller:

"We are all borned;
So shall we go the same as yesterday,
The memories tho of the ones we love,
I guess are here to stay;

I know a man that passed away not so long ago,
The kind of man that you and I are always glad to know;

Now he never was a president norheld a high up job,
but he toiled the land with his own hands and put his faith in God;
He never owned no mines or oil, not even any land,
but the world has never known a more successful man;

His heart was made of solid gold, we all could understand,
and when he found someone in need, he'd lend a helping hand;

He had the sweetest wife on earth, always sweet and true,
and when he passed on she went along just to see him through;
When they start up the Golden Stairs towards the Pearly Gates
she'll help him then like she always did, with every step he makes;

When they stop to rest on the Milkyway
where the Angles sing their hymns,
they'll sing the prettiest ones they know for JOSEPHINE & JIM."

Source: "Texas Ancestry--Miller Family," short unpublished paper written by Margaret Miller (date unknown), copy in possession of Paula Miller ([email protected]):

"....[James Monroe and Mary Josephine had] 26 grandchildren and 70 great-grandchildren...."