Gary Dale Miller

After a brief illness, Gary Dale Miller was welcomed into the arms of his loving Savior on June 27, 2025, at the VA Hospital in Oklahoma City. He was 76 years old.
Gary was born August 3, 1948, in Oklahoma City to Frances Louise (Clawson) and John Austin Miller. He graduated from Putnam City High School in 1966. After attending one semester at Central State College, he joined the U.S. Marine Corps in 1967 and served until his honorable discharge on August 19, 1970.
Gary went on to earn a bachelor's degree in music from Central State College in 1975 and taught public school music in El Paso, Texas, for a brief time. After moving back to Oklahoma City, he pursued a different professional career, earning a bachelor's degree in nursing from the University of Oklahoma in 1982.
Thereafter, he worked at various metro hospitals and finally retired in 2008 after 17 years with the Oklahoma Department of Health. After retirement, he remained an adjunct professor at Vatterott College in the medical office assistant program.
Gary was married twice, first to Jennifer Ruth Conner on September 4, 1970, and second to Jane Marie Shedden on December 30, 1972. Gary and Jane had four children.
Besides family and friends, Gary had several passions which he pursued, including martial arts (he earned a black belt in aikido in 2003), music, writing, and Bible study.
Gary especially enjoyed playing piano and guitar, singing, and writing songs. He came from a long line of singers on his mom's Clawson side. When family and friends got together, the instruments came out and there was much singing and playing. He performed locally by himself or with small groups, sometimes using the name Johnny Gale.
Gary loved reading and collecting books, particularly Bibles and Christian literature. Serving the Lord and studying and teaching scripture was a priority in his life, and he shared with friends and strangers alike. Friends and colleagues knew him to be likeable, gentle, and encouraging. A longtime member of Guthrie Gospel Chapel, he was well-respected and loved by his church family.
Gary was preceded in death by his parents and daughter Abigial Joy Miller. He is survived by son Jeremy Thomas Miller and wife Catherine of Norman; daughter Rebekah (Becky) Marie Raiten and husband Dan of Colorado; daughter Suzanne Kristine Wickenkamp and husband Jason of Oklahoma City; brother John Douglas Miller and wife Janelle of Edmond; niece Lisa Miller Ziriax of Edmond; nephew Michael Sean Miller; nine grandchildren; and many other family members.
A memorial service will be held Saturday, July 12, 2025, at 1:30 p.m. at Guthrie Gospel Chapel, 424 E. Oklahoma Avenue, in Guthrie.
Interment will be at a later date at Fort Sill National Cemetery in Lawton.
Donations may be made to the charity of your choice or to Christian Missions in Many Lands (CMML) which Gary wholeheartedly supported financially. Through CMML, Gary established many relationships with missionaries all over the world by correspondence, for encouragement and prayer. CMML's address is PO Box 13, Spring Lake, NJ 07762 (www.CMML.us).
We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. - 2 Corinthians 5:8