INDIANAPOLIS
Jacqueline L. Miller, 86, of Indianapolis, IN, was welcomed into the arms of her Heavenly Father and Savior on the morning of January 22, 2022 at her home in Indianapolis. She was surrounded by her loving family.
Jackie was born on June 18, 1935, to Charles and Lela Hindenlang in Michigan. She had at least 6 siblings but the Great Depression took its toll and the children were taken and scattered. She was never reunited with her birth family. Instead, she was adopted by Burnedett and eventually Charlie Sims, who relocated to Indiana from Michigan. Those were hard economic times and Jackie suffered much as a child.
From a very young age, Jackie learned that Jesus Christ loved her and had a plan for her life. She not only taught her kids about Jesus but embodied Christ to them. Her family and friends turned to her as their prayer warrior, and the grandkids thought she had a direct line to God. Having been an orphan herself, she was mother to the motherless. We often had people who had no families of their own at our dinner table. We remember times when she emptied out the freezer to feed neighbors. We always saw God’s love, joy, selflessness, and patience shining through her until the last day.
After graduating from Elkhart High School in Indiana, Jackie attended Mount Sinai School of Nursing in Chicago and then transferred to Norwegian American School of Nursing in Chicago, where she graduated top of her class. There she met Harold Miller, an outgoing and charming New Yorker who had served in the Air Force during the Korean Conflict. They fell in love and wanted to marry but they prayed for God’s will and timing. They prayed that three “fleeces” would be met.
#1. They needed the Director of Nursing’s permission for Jackie to marry as no student had been allowed to marry in the history of the school.
#2. Jackie’s mother was a force to be reckoned with and they wanted her approval.
#3. Harold was working on a ship in New York and needed a job transfer to Chicago to begin life with Jackie. All 3 fleeces were answered in miraculous ways. They were married on June 2, 1956. During their 65 years of marriage, his V.A. career took them from Chicago to Maryland to Indianapolis and then to Fort Wayne, Indiana.
Jackie and Hal were always active in their churches. Mom taught Bible school and Sunday school for years. She could always be counted on to provide a meal for the sick, for visiting choirs, or for Navy WAVES and sailors who were far from home. They devoted more than three decades of their lives to their grandchildren, providing TLC, childcare, chauffeuring, and attending sporting events. She was affectionately known as “Grammy.”
During the summers they packed the family and dog into their Volkswagen camper and traveled all over the country. Jackie was an amazing wife, mother, grandmother, and home was a warm and loving place. Even in her later years, struggling with health issues, her faith remained strong and she was an inspiration to us. Her husband Hal was our hero in his loving care of her for many years. For the last 2 1/2 years, she was bedridden and eventually lost her ability to talk. Although she could hardly be understood she would occasionally say, “Jesus is my Lord”. She tried to sing hymns along with the Gaither Vocal Band on TV. We have no doubt that today she is singing loudly with the angels!
A celebration of her life will be held by close family at a later date. Burial will take place at Indiana Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Madison, Indiana.
Jackie is survived by her loving husband of 65 years, Harold Miller.
Children: Deborah Miller McConiga (David) of Bluffton, IN, Cheryl Clemens (Robert) of Greenwood, IN, Charles Miller (Julie) of Howell, MI
Grandchildren: Rachel Sullivan (Joseph) of Indianapolis, IN, Erika Kostamo (Derek) Howell, MI, Matthew Fanning (Teighlor) of Indianapolis, IN, Daniel Miller of Howell, MI, Timothy Miller of Kankakee, IL, Joshua Clemens of Greenwood, IN, Rebekah Miller of Howell, MI, Caleb Clemens of Greenwood, IN
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in Jackie’s memory to The Children’s Dyslexia Center of Indianapolis, 650 N. Meridian St, Indianapolis, IN 46204 or Samaritan’s Purse Attn: Donor Ministries, PO Box 3000, Boone, NC 28607
Jackie’s arrangements have been entrusted to Swartz Family Community Mortuary and Memorial Center 300 South U.S. 31 (Morton Street) in Franklin, IN.
Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.swartzmortuary.com. Information 317-738-0202.
