Shep's Place Family Tree

Aurilla Miller
Aurilla Heslop Miller, Point Pleasant, died Saturday, March 13, 1993, in Holzer Medical Center.
She was the last of the eight children of John W.C. Heslop and Aurilla Jarrott Heslop, who made their residence in Point Pleasant in 1886. Her parents were the founders of the Point Pleasant Machine Works. Miller's entire family became prominent in industrial and civic affairs.
In 1920, she married Milton L. Miller, and they remained married 61 years until his death.
A devoted member of Christ Episcopal Church, and known by most of the members as "Aunt Aurilla," she was the first woman elected to the Vestry ‎(governing body)‎; was Altar Guild Directress; established the memorial flower fund; was past president of the christ Church Service Guild; chaired numerous church projects; and was named "Saint of the Century" in 1988.
She was a member of the board of Colonel Charles Lewis Chapter, N.S.D.A.R.; a past president of the Woman's Club; charter member and past president of the Tu-Endie-Wei Garden Club; and charter member of the order of Eastern Star.
Surviving are three nieces, Mrs. E. Bartow Jones, Point Pleasant, Mrs. Charles E. Holzer, Gallipolis, Mrs Fred Q. Brown, Charleston; many great- and great-great nieces and nephews, and two great-great-great-nephews. A niece and nephew by marriage, devoted to Miller, were Paul Miller of Dayton and Alice Miller Shaw of Spokane, Wa.
Due to the recent snowstorm, funeral arrangements are incomplete and will be announced by the Crow-Hussell Funeral Home. In lieu of flowers, the family requests gifts be made to the Christ Episcopal Church, 804 Main Street.

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Aurilla Miller
Arrangements are now complete for the funeral services of Aurilla Heslop Miller.....Funeral service will be held at 12:30 p.m. Thursday, March 18, at the Christ Episcopal Church, with Father Ronald L. Baird officiating. Burial will follow at Lone Oak Cemetery.
Pallbearers will be Edward B. Nichols, Senator B. Ned Jones, Governor Brereton C. Jones, Thomas J. Goodman, Jr., A. Keith McClung, Dr. Juhling McClung, David Andrew O'Neil and Dudley Irvin.
Honorary pallbearers are Paul L. Miller, Dr. Charles E. Holzer, Dr. Sigismund L. Harder, Robert Bosworth, Bill J. Wellman, Carroll W. Casto, Howard A. Price, Joseph F. Dunn, Bruce P. Arnall, James Shadle, Fred Q. Brown, Rex Howard, John Holzer, Charlie Holzer, Tim Chriss and Alfred Morrison.
Due to Aurilla's wishes to observe the custom of Lent, please do not send flowers. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to Christ Episcopal Church. Donations will be designated to the Memorial Flower Fund, which was founded by Mrs. Miller, or to the Memorial Fund in Memory of Aurilla H. Miller.

Editor, The Register:
For 25 years I have been blessed by a treasured friendship with a lovely lady who embodied all the virtues of that name. She was caring, kind and compassionate to everyone and believed they were equally trustworthy. She loved God, her Lord Jesus Christ and her church. Her life of service to them is a living testimonial of that love! As the years passed our friendship grew and blossomed into a rare and beautiful relationship. We shared our lives as sisters would. All our problems and fears, all our happiness and sorrows were shared and held in sacrede confidence! Our visits were quality time for both of us; and never a visit ended that she didn't hug me and say, "I love you."
My friend viewed everyone through eyes of love! She was convinced that I was a perfect lady, super-smart, very talented and incapable of any wrongdoing! Unfortunately, I was none of these things; but I was inspired by her faith in me to be better than I was!
Time finally exacted its toll of my friend's frail body. Jesus Christ, in His love and compassion, came and took her into eternal life.
I weep bitterly; not for my friend, who is now with God, but for myself. I am human and selfish and will miss her every day of my life.
My friend, Aurilla Heslop Miller, was well known and loved by everyone in Point Pleasant. As a public-spirited citizen she spent her life working for the betterment of this small community which she called, "My favorite town in the whole world." Her memory will always live in the minds and hearts of our people as the "First lady of Point Pleasant." Nell Huron Noble.

The service included from the Old Testament Wisdom 3:105, 9 and from the New Testament Romans 8:14-19, 34-35, 37-39. The Gospel Lesson was from John 14:1-6.
An insert in the "program" consisted of the following:
Please, shed no tears for me. For almost a century I have lived life to its fullest, loved and been loved. For more than eight decades I have been privileged to serve my Lord in the same beautiful, impressive church--in my favorite town in the whole world. For over half a century I have lived in a home made more lovely by the huge trees that I planted as seedlings and which my birds now so enjoy.
Although I have not "given birth," I have cradled in my arms the babies of family and friends--children who later came back to dye Easter Eggs and to watch the Fourth of July Parade from my front porch. Their children then came for the same fun and love--children who liked to hear the history of Point Pleasant and to see pictures of its floods, who gazed at the pictures of my ice skating on the Kanawha River with Milton and who admired the valentines he had given me through the years which I still treasure.
No, please shed no tears for me. I am happy to be with my Lord, with Milton, and with my dear family and friends who have gone to Heaven before me. We will celebrate my birthday there and will be waiting for you to come one day too.