Lolita Paxine Miller, 95, of Salem, Illinois, passed away peacefully into the arms of her loving Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on August 18, 2021, from Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana, Illinois.
Born May 29, 1926, in Hamilton, Kansas, she was the daughter of Charles Marion and Vergie Marie (Hillman) Williams.
Before she married, Lolita was an employee of the Veterans Administration in Kansas. She united in marriage with Wendell E. Miller, April 8, 1956, in Hutchinson, Kansas, and he survives in Salem, along with their daughter Candace Howard and husband Wayne, also of Salem, and Cynthia Miller- Naude and husband Jacobus of Bloemfontein, South Africa, along with ten grandchildren and 20 great-grandchildren.
Throughout her life, Lolita served alongside her husband in many ministries and ventures. While in Kansas, Lolita conceived the idea for a fair booth ministry at the Kansas State Fair. For many years she and her husband distributed Christian literature and talked to people about where they would spend eternity. Later, they moved to Warsaw, Indiana, and she graduated from Grace College the same day her husband graduated from Grace Theological Seminary. Lolita was also a counselor and secretary for Biblical Counseling Association, a not-for-profit ministry that provided free marriage and family counseling for several decades. Her husband was a Patent Agent, so she also typed many patents – most before the days of computers.
More recently, Lolita and Wendell moved to Salem, Illinois, to be close to Wayne and Candace, and they faithfully attended Salem First Baptist Church. In Salem, Wendell shifted his emphasis to theological writing, and Lolita encouraged, inspired, and reviewed Wendell’s manuscripts. As Wendell always said, “Whatever credit comes from our life’s work, about 60 percent will go to Lolita.”
Lolita was always ready to lend a helping hand, whether it was taking a meal to a shut-in neighbor, or traveling hundreds of miles with her husband to visit elderly relatives who were lonely.
Lolita’s family was her first priority, and she would drop anything to help her daughters or grandchildren. She always served people with a joyful smile!
One of her favorite Bible verses was 2 Corinthians 4:6, “For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”
Lolita had in her heart for several years to write a song titled, “I Love Jesus Does He Know? I will Pray and Tell Him So.” She accomplished her goal in July 2020 and had the song copyrighted. It can be viewed at Funeral Home’s website.
Funeral services will be 1:00 p.m., Friday, September 3, 2021, at the First Baptist Church in Salem with Dr. Andy DeWitt officiating. Burial will follow at the East Lawn Cemetery in Salem. Visiting hours will be from 11:00 am until the service hour at the church. It will be important to wear masks due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Memorials may be made to Salem First Baptist Church and will be accepted by the Sutherland – Rankin Funeral Home, P.O. Box 97, 310 N. Broadway, Salem, IL 62881 (618) 548-1234, entrusted with the family’ care. Online condolences may be left at sutherlandfuneralhome.com.
