MILLER, Holly M. - b. October 21, 1887 - d. July 24, 1976

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Holly M. Miller, 88, died July 24, 1976 in the Newton Memorial Hospital in Winfield, Kansas.

Services will be held at the Spurrier Funeral Home Chapel in Howard, Kansas on Tuesday at 2:00 p.m. with the Rev. Roy L. Brown assisted by Bernard Smith officiating.  Interment with Masonic rites will follow in Grace Lawn Cemetery.

Holly M. Miller was born Oct. 21, 1887 at Dunbar, Nebraska to Nicholas and Almira (Francher) Miller.  He came to Kansas in 1896 with his parents where they resided on a farm near Howard.

He was married to Hazel Gotobed on October 6, 1909, when he moved to Howard where he had resided since.  He was appointed as a mail carrier in July of 1909.   He retired from the mail service in October 1957 at which time he received a fifty year pin for service.

He was a member of the Presbyterian Church and the Masonic Hope Lodge of Howard.  He was a 60 year Mason and a member of the Columbia Chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star for 57 years.  He was also a member of the Rural Carriers Association.

He is survived by one son, H. Elwood Miller, of Howard, Kansas;  two daughters, Agnes Miller of the home, and Mrs. Verlan (Helen) Dean of Eureka, Kansas; a sister, Alma Smith of Longton, Kansas; and five grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

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My husband grew up on a farm about eight miles northeast of Howard, and for many years Holly Miller was their mail carrier.  Don remembers that as a small child, that if they happened to meet Holly at the mailbox he would give the chidren some chewing gum.

It was during WW II when everything was rationed, tires were hard to come by, and mail carriers had top priority over everyone else.  Holly had gotten some new tires, and sold his used tires to Don's father.  Both of them had old Model-A Ford cars.

Holly used to chew on old cigars, but he never lit them.

When Holly retired from being a mail carrier, folks that lived in the Antioch community gave him a retirement party at the Antioch Church (northeast of Howard). Someone told of a funny incident that had happened to Holly. It had happened during a bad snow storm and Holly was having a hard time delivering the mail, as the roads were drifted, and he finally got a package delivered that was from a local drugstore.  Upon the delivery, Holly had inquired on who was sick, and the lady replied "Oh, no.........this is just bird seed for my canary!" (That brought lots of laughs.)

Holly never knew a stranger.