Charles F Snyder Funeral Home - Obituaries and Tributes

John J. Miller, age 67, died Sunday morning, August 1, at his home in Lancaster after a brief and courageous battle with a brain tumor. Much loved as a music and drama teacher, he spent a total of 36 years teaching at 5 different schools, including 11 years at Locust Grove Mennonite School and, most recently, 16 years at Lancaster Mennonite School. He retired from teaching two years ago and has since been working part time with music ministries at Neffsville Mennonite Church. John will also be remembered as a vocalist and actor. He performed in numerous settings as a soloist and spent the last 13 years singing with Susquehanna Chorale. He appeared in numerous plays by Merle Good at the Guernsey Barn and beyond, and played a role in the movie Hazel's People.

John is the husband of Helen L. (Kraybill) Miller. They were married for nearly 40 years. He is father of two adult children, Wendell Epp Miller, married to Rachel Epp Miller, of San Antonio, TX; and Frances Miller of Singers Glen, VA. The 9^th in a family of 11 children, he is survived by Barbara (Floyd) Hershberger of Tucson, AZ; Alma Bontrager, Eli (Mary Sue) Miller, and Orie Miller of Goshen, IN; Henry (Mildred) Miller of Harlan, IN; Chris (Lola) Miller of Denver, CO; Emery (Mary Alice) Miller of London, OH; Paul (Sherry) Miller of Orrville, OH; and Mary (Lisa Dimondstein) Miller of Hyde Park, VT. He was preceded in death by a brother, Daniel, who died at age 15, and a sister-in-law Anna Miller.

Born in Arthur, IL to the late Jacob E. Miller and Polly (Helmuth) Miller, John grew up in Goshen, IN. He attended Eastern Mennonite College where he completed a B.A. with a major in music and sang with the Mennonite Hour Quartet. He earned a Master's degree from Manhattan School of Music in music education. For two years he worked at a children's home in Espelkamp, Germany. He and his family spent 7 years in Nairobi, Kenya, where he taught at Rosslyn Academy.

John's teaching style was marked by an insistence on discipline and quality and by a deep and genuine enthusiasm for the work his students created. Never short on ambition, he was instrumental in establishing a drama program at Rosslyn Academy and in growing the music and drama programs at Lancaster Mennonite School, including the addition of yearly musicals. He conducted a performance of the entire Messiah every four years with the LMS choirs and orchestra. He led student choirs on tours to Africa and Eastern Europe.

Outside of the classroom, he was equally comfortable in a tux, performing, or in overalls fixing cars. Both types of activities fed him. John's humor bordered on eccentric, but the enthusiasm of his laugh was contagious. Church was a central facet of John's life. He was a member of Mellinger Mennonite Church.

There will be a Viewing at Neffsville Mennonite Church on Friday evening, August 6, from 4:00 - 8:00 PM. Internment will be private. A Memorial Service will be held at the Lancaster Mennonite High School Fine Arts Center on Saturday evening, August 7, at 7:00 PM. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of Lancaster County, PO Box 4125, Lancaster, PA 17604 or Lancaster Mennonite School, 2176 Lincoln Hwy East, Lancaster PA 17602.

The family invites anyone who was a member of a choir under John's direction to sing in a volunteer choir at the memorial service. Please visit www.millerjj.info/choir/ for more information.

Arrangements by the Charles F. Snyder Jr. Funeral Home & Chapel, 3110 Lititz Pike, Lititz, PA. To send an online condolence, please visit SnyderFuneralHome.com.