C.W. “Bud” Miller

C. W. “Bud” Miller, 88, of Perryton, passed away Monday April 1, 2024 at the Hansford Manor Nursing Home in Spearman.

Viewing will be Thursday, April 4, 2024 from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday, April 5, 2024 from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Saturday, April 6, 2024 from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Boxwell Brothers Funeral Home in Perryton. The family will be present for the visitation at Boxwell Brothers Funeral Home Friday evening from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

A memorial service will be held Saturday, April 6, 2024 at 3 p.m. at First Baptist Church in Perryton, officiated by Pat Ray, and burial will follow in Ochiltree Cemetery.

Bud was born onAugust 7, 1935 in a one-bedroom concrete house in Woodward County, Oklahoma. The second son of Clifford and Mildred Miller, his early childhood was shaped by a battle with polio. After a summer swim, he contracted the disease at the age of four. He survived this ordeal with minimal physical damage thanks to a forced convalescence— except for his ankles, which remained weakened for the remainder of his life.

Overcoming polio as a child instilled in him a sense of determination. He often said, “I knew as a little boy, that if I fell and didn’t get back up, then I was done.” While the effects of polio weakened his body later in life, he never let it keep him down. Until the day he died, the strength of his grip left no doubt about his toughness and resilience.

Bud grew up milking cows on his family’s dairy, and he started school at five in a one-room schoolhouse. Because the school alternated grades each year, he jumped straight to the second grade. He excelled in his studies, graduated high school at sixteen, and continued his education at Panhandle A&M (now OPSU). While in college, he met his sweetheart of almost seventy years, Mary Anita Selby.

Bud and Mary Anita were married on August 26, 1954. While living in the married student barracks, Bud completed his Bachelor of Science in Mathematics. He began his teaching career in the fall of 1954 in Guymon, Oklahoma and welcomed their first son, Ken, in 1957. In 1960, Billy was born in Stillwater, Oklahoma where Bud was completing his Masters Degree in physics at Oklahoma State University. After an Easter visit to Perryton in 1961, Bud and Mary Anita made the decision to return and help with the Selby farm so that the legacy of farming would continue into the next generation.

Bud’s life centered around farming and teaching. He was hired at Perryton High School after a single phone interview, where he taught math, calculus, and physics for nearly twenty years.

Fondly known to his students as Mr. Miller, he was a direct and no-nonsense teacher who taught students to think analytically, value themselves, and respect those around them. Over fifty years after teaching, his students still recall how Mr. Miller “took his job seriously as a teacher, man of integrity, and mentor.”

For the rest of their married life, Bud and Mary Anita worked jointly on the family farm, co-owned Perryton Aviation, and gladly took on the titles of Granny and Grandpa. His lifelong joy was following his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, serving faithfully at First Baptist Church of Perryton as a trustee, deacon, Sunday School teacher, member of the choir, and in any other capacity needed.

Grandpa was always ready with a quick word of advice and was famous for his uncomplaining sense of contentment. He often found himself waiting on Granny, sitting patiently in the car passing time solving Sudoku puzzles. Granny and Grandpa, or Aunt Nita and Uncle Bud, were ready — bags literally packed —to GO. Spending countless hours supporting and cheering family and friends, they never passed up a chance to share their support.

His signature verse which he signed on all cards and notes of encouragement is John 10:10, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may haveitmore abundantly .”

Bud was preceded in death by his wife, Mary Anita; his parents; his brother, Ronald; sister, Vina; and niece, Lecreca Schickedanz Taliaferro.

He is survived by his two sons and their wives: Ken and Lisa of Carlsbad, NM, and Billy and Karen of Perryton. His legacy will continue through his grandchildren: Ken’s sons, Austin, Joshua, Daniel, and Andrew; and Billy’s children: Rachel and Vikram Sidhu, Alana and Daniel Elliott, Sarah, Caleb, Asher, Lydia, Shepherd, and Nathan. He is also survived by his sister, Darlene Seals; sister-inlaw, Marlene Miller; sister- in-law, Charleen and her husband Larry Schickedanz; sister-inlaw, Corline and her husband Grant Jackson; and his nieces and nephews and their families.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Hansford Manor in Spearman, Gideons International, Box 254 Perryton, TX 79070, First Baptist Church Perryton, or another charity of choice.