Gary W. Miller Obituary (1945 - 2016)

Gary W. Miller, 71, of Normal, passed away at 4:31 a.m. Sunday, June 12, 2016 at his home.His memorial Mass will be 1 p.m. Thursday, June 16, 2016 at Epiphany Catholic Church, Normal. Visitation will be from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m Thursday, June 16, 2016 at the church.In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to OSF Hospice or to the Cancer Treatment Centers of America for lung cancer research.He was born May 31, 1945 in Bloomington, a son of William Lyle and Meredith Jabsen Miller. He married Coralie Pearson in 1965 and she preceded him in death in 2003. He later married Cathy French in 2006. She survives in Normal.Also surviving are his children, Anthony (Toni) Miller of German Valley and their daughter, Taylor, Chelsea (Rich) Flores of Normal, and their children, Kaden and Giannah and Kent (Sheli) Walker of Bloomington; also surviving are granddaughters Gabrielle, Corinne and Norah; a brother, Paul (Carol) Miller of LaCrosse, WI; twin sisters, Mary Lou (Patrick) Sutter of Peoria and Helaine (Michael) MacPhail of Kingman, AZ; and several nieces and nephews in Illinois and Texas.He was preceded in death by his parents and a very special grandfather, Paul F. Jabsen.Gary spent most of his life working in the automotive industry, including Firestone OTR Tire and Rubber as well as Mitsubishi Motors. He retired in 2006 and began his second career remodeling his home and the homes of many friends. He and Cathy traveled through much of the United States from Florida to Wisconsin, Arizona to Maine and many more states. They were eight states shy of having seen all 50. Gary loved golf, especially with his brothers-in-law.The family wishes to thank Dr. Bruce Gershenhorn and his entire staff at CTCA in Zion. They worked diligently with Gary in his battle with lung cancer with smiles and encouragement and loving care.