Wendell Everett Miller, age 100, of Salem, Illinois, passed away peacefully into the arms of his loving Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on February 19, 2024, from Salem Township Hospital, surrounded by members of his family.
He was born on February 14, 1924, in Wichita, Kansas, the son of William Everett Miller and Florence (Cripe) Miller.
On April 8, 1956, he married Lolita Paxine Williams in Hutchinson, Kansas. They were married and inseparable for 65 years, until she passed away from COVID at the age of 95, on August 18, 2021.
He is survived by two daughters: his daughter Cynthia Naude’ with husband Jacobus of Bloemfontein, South Africa, and his daughter Candace Howard with husband Wayne of Salem, Illinois, along with ten grandchildren: Nelmarie Kruger with husband Pieter, Salomie Viljoen with husband Gerrit, Christiana Nelson with husband James, Micah Howard with wife Katherine, Jason Howard with wife Rachel, Isaac Howard with wife Lauren, Nathan Howard, Andrew Howard, Rachelle Oziemkiewicz with husband Joseph, and Luke Howard, in addition to 22 great-grandchildren and 4 great-great grandchildren.As a young man, Wendell served in the Army during World War II in Europe, the Philippines, and Korea. To show respect to him as a veteran, the American Legion will honor him with a flag presentation and a 21-gun salute. Over the years his family thoroughly enjoyed hearing stories about his wartime adventures.
His service in the Army enabled him to attend college. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Wichita State University and then worked as an engineer for Cessna Aircraft in Hutchinson, Kansas. He earned his Professional Engineer License from the University of Chicago and later passed the bar exam to become a Patent Agent, which he used to write patents for medical equipment such as head-operated wheelchairs and therapeutic magnetic devices, military equipment, and many other varied and wide-ranging technological developments, some of which were his inventions.
While living in Kansas, he was led by God to rent a fair booth at the Kansas State Fair in order to pass out Gospel tracts to passers-by and to talk to them about their eternal destiny. He especially liked talking with the traveling fair workers, sharing the good news of Jesus and Biblical truth with them.
In 1968 Wendell moved his family to Indiana, for the purpose of attending Grace Theological Seminary, where he earned a Master of Divinity degree. In the early 1980’s he was led by God to start the Biblical Counseling Association, where he counseled people from the Word of God for many years. On his 100th birthday this Valentine’s Day, he received numerous thank you cards from previous counselees whose lives were turned around as a result of his Biblical counseling years ago.
He was also an author, writing and publishing a book on forgiveness, called, Forgiveness: The Power and the Puzzles, which was published by his own publishing company, ClearBrook Publishers, and recently writing a book on soteriology (salvation), which is not yet published.
Wendell and his wife Lolita loved spending time with their grandchildren and would take them on trips to various places across the country, often to visit other relatives. They also loved hospitality and encouraged many people in their home over their lives.
Several years ago, Wendell and his ‘Sweetie’ Lolita moved to Salem, Illinois, to be close to his daughter Candace and her husband Wayne, and they faithfully attended Salem First Baptist Church.
One of his favorite Bible verses was John 3:16 ‘For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’ This verse was the basis for his recent soteriology book. He was good at engaging people in conversation, often with one of his many jokes, and giving them some morsels of wisdom, pertinent for their lives. They could tell that he really cared about them.
Everyone who knew Wendell loved him.
There will be a Graveside Service for family and friends at East Lawn Cemetery on Monday, February 26, 2024, at 10:00 am. A Celebration of Life Service will be held in July at the First Baptist Church in Salem with Dr. Andy DeWitt officiating. Online condolences may be left at sutherlandfuneralhome.com which is honored to be of service to the family.
