Jonathan Richard Miller

Posted

(August 22, 2002)

Memorial services will be conducted at 11 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 29 at First United Methodist Church in Powell for Jonathan Richard Miller, 20, of Denver, Colo., formerly of Powell, who died Thursday, Aug. 22 from injuries sustained in an automobile accident.

He was born in Modesto, Calif., on Dec. 9, 1981, and lived his first 10 years in Oakdale, Calif., prior to moving to Powell with his family. Jonathan spent his formative years in Powell and graduated from Powell High School in 2000. He attended Northwest College and the University of Wyoming at Laramie prior to transferring last year to the Lamont School of Music at Denver University on a music scholarship.

Jonathan loved baseball and played Little League, Babe Ruth and American Legion baseball in Powell. He was a starting pitcher for the 2000 Wyoming American Legion state championship team.

He also had a passion for music and played saxophone, bassoon, piano and keyboard. He performed in numerous groups, beginning in middle school and high school and continuing into college. These included Northwest College Jazz Band and University of Wyoming Jazz Band and Orchestra, and he was the first chair bassoonist in the Lamont School of Music Orchestra and Symphony.

He also had a great love of the outdoors, was an avid snowboarder and loved camping, fishing and hunting. Jonathan had a zest for life and was truly a free spirit. On a recent canoe trip last summer, Jonathan, his father, future father-in-law and several close friends retraced 110 miles of the Lewis and Clark Trail on the Upper Missouri River in northern Montana. Just a month ago, he traveled to Port Townsend, Wash., on Puget Sound with his fiancee, Joanna, and her parents, Dave and Bev Whittle of Powell, and spent several days sailing on a 46-foot sailboat.

He was able to put his artistic talents to work doing custom woodworking while employed this past year at Helix Construction in Denver.

He enjoyed people, friends and was very close to his family. He and fiancee, Joanna, were also very fond of their miniature border collie, Bella.

Survivors include his parents, Rich and Jane Miller of Powell; his fiancee, Joanna Whittle of Denver; his sister, Elizabeth, of Powell, currently attending Minnesota State University at Mankato; his sister, Darcy, of Modesto, Calif.; his brother, Eric, of Modesto; his paternal grandmother, Berniece Miller, of Powell; his maternal grandmother, Joan Broadbent, of Red Lodge, Mont.; his grandfather, LeRoy Solomon, in Nevada; his great grandmother, Goodie Nelms, of Modesto; his aunts and uncles, Laura Keene of Powell, Craig Davis of Council, Idaho, Don and Ronna Corsini of Woodstock, Ga., Ray and Oy Miller of Davis, Calif., and Dana and Marla Solomon of Manteca, Calif.; and his cousins, Matthew Solomon of Nacogdoches, Texas, Heather Solomon of Manteca, Calif., Kevin Corsini of Woodstock, Ga., Ken Corsini of Roswell, Ga., and Katie Reid of Carrollton, Ga.

Memorials may be made to the Jonathan Miller Memorial Music Scholarship at Northwest College in Powell.

The Rev. Ron Kapalka will officiate at memorial services at the Methodist Church, 137 West 2nd St., Powell. Miratsky-Easton Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

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