Bessie MILLER

MILLER (Suel),

Bessie Jean

Bessie Jean (Suel) Miller, age 98, of Oxford, Ohio, passed away Friday, August 27, 2021, at the Knolls of Oxford. She was born on June 12, 1923, in Oxford to parents Arthur and Ruby (Foster) Suel. She graduated from Stewart High School in 1941 and married her high school sweetheart, William R. Miller, Sr. later that year. She was preceded in death by her husband of nearly 74 years

in 2015.

Bessie was also preceded in death by four brothers Ken, Rudy, Robert, and Arthur, two sisters Marian Mize and Colleen Shands. She is survived by her two sons William R. Miller, Jr. (Sibyl) of Oxford and Ronald M. Miller (Yvonne) of Cincinnati. She is also survived by four grandchildren Amy Moore Carter (Kobie) of NYC, William R. Miller III (Jennifer) of Chicago,

Marcus Miller (Rebekah) of Cincinnati, Camille Wimbish (Bruce) of Columbus, as well as five great-grandchildren Leah, Sophia, and Paul Moore Jr. and Maia and Aviana Wimbish, and countless other close relatives throughout the country spanning five or more generations.

A member of Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, she loved gospel music. She also enjoyed planting and caring for flowering plants and identifying and feeding wild birds. She was a |wonderful cook and a great pastry maker. One special

confirmation of her excellent baking skills came from the

Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at an Oxford NAACP

dinner in 1959, where he proclaimed that her cherry pie was the best he had ever tasted!

Over her long lifetime she had been an active member of the Eastern Star and a member of the Oxford NAACP. She loved family picnics, camping and fishing in Canada, and creating beautiful ceramics. She was employed by Miami University for many years and befriended many Black students and others over the years.

Deeply loved by her family and friends and admired for her courage, dignity, and strength, she will be greatly missed. We celebrate her full life well lived.

Donations in her honor may be made to the NAACP Oxford Branch (PO Box 70, Oxford, OH 45056).