Madaleen (Montgomery) Miller

Madaleen M. Miller (born Faye Madaleen Montgomery) passed away peacefully in her sleep on the morning of September 23, 2023, in Fairland, Oklahoma at the age of 95 of natural causes, four days short of her 96th birthday. She was preceded in death by her husband William M. Miller, who passed away in 2016. Madaleen was born in Fairland, Oklahoma on September 27, 1927, the third child and second daughter of Ralph and Oka Montgomery of Fairland. She is survived by four children: Kendall Miller, Alison Andrews, Ellen Miller, and Brian Miller, plus thirteen grandchildren and fourteen great-grandchildren. Madaleen grew up in the Depression. She spent her childhood living with her family in a tent, travelling to wherever the work was available. Eventually they settled in Fairland where Ralph began operating a grain elevator business. She was always precocious, outgoing, and inquisitive, and did very well in school. She met Bill as a teenager and didn’t hesitate much when he offered her a ride on his motorcycle. Madaleen and Bill were married on July 26, 1948, in Fairland. With Bill working for the United States Deartmentt of Agriculture in the Soil Conservation Service. They spent the next several years growing their family and moving regularly. Their first child, Kendall, was born in 1951 in Newton, Kansas. Two more were born in Miami, Oklahoma: Alison in 1953 and Ellen in 1955, before their last child, Brian, was born in Brownsfield, Texas in 1958. They also lived in Lone Star, Oklahoma, Lamesa, Texas, Big Spring, Texas, and Abilene Texas before finally settling in Temple, Texas in 1965. Madaleen spent most of her life as a devoted wife, mother, and homemaker. But aside from her family, she had a passion for the Arts and learning in general, and most particularly for music, having a deep affinity for the classics and Broadway musicals. She learned how to read music and play piano from her mother at a young age and studied music all her life. She was a lifetime learner. She took courses from various colleges on various subjects in almost every town the family lived in. By the time she got her bachelor’s degree in music from Mary Hardin-Baylor College in Belton, Texas, she had transcripts from eleven different colleges. In a few years, she followed it with a master’s degree in music theory and literature from Baylor University in Waco, Texas. She was even about to start work on her Doctorate at the University of Texas in Austin when she chose instead to help take care of her first grandchild. She made sure that all four of her children learned to play an instrument and taught piano lessons out of her home for many years. She also taght choir and music in public schools. She directed music in her church and enjoyed singing in many local productions in her local civic theater. She even managed to get her children involved when she got herself and three of her kids to perform on the stage, and the fourth in the orchestra, in a local production of the Music Man. In 1983 Bill and Madaleen got the opportunity to have an adventure overseas. They moved to Peshawar, Pakistan. Bill worked for USAID for the first trip, and they went back a second time so Madaleen could teach English for the Asia Foundation. The Gulf War broke out in 1990 and they were evacuated back to Temple, Texas in 1991. After they returned home, they were instrumental in bringing over two young men from a Pakistani family they had befriended. Sahib and Saeed Zada were brought to Texas to further their education. Bill and Madaleen moved back to Fairland in 1995. They were active in their community and their church, Community of Christ in Miami, Oklahoma. Madaleen also served several terms on the Fairland City Council. Soon after Bill died in 2016, Madaleen took up residence at the Family Care Center in Fairland where she spent her remaining year in peace and comfort. Throughout her long life, Madaleen exhibited the classic characteristics of a strong woman: smart, fierce, and courageous. Guided by love and truth, she was forever an advocate for the underprivileged and the oppressed and the rights of the individual without any regard to sexual preference, ethnicity, or cultural heritage. She believed in the inherent goodness of all people and was always willing to give someone the chance to prove themselves. She has been described as eternally hopeful yet rationally skeptical; educated, intellectual and articulate. Throughout her life she was extremely curious and very innovative, and more prone to attack life’s problems with action, rather than just sit by and let things happen. On top of all this, she was kind, loving and exceedingly generous. Her life touched many lives and left distinct impressions upon all of them. Her family and the many, many friends she left behind will miss her dearly and carry her memory with them always. Friends and family may send the family notes of encouragement by viewing Mrs. Miller’s Tribute Page at www.brown-winters.com.

Madaleen (Montgomery) Miller

September 27, 1927 - September 23, 2023