Mrs. Emma Jean Miller

August 12, 1924 - December 30, 2020

IN LIEU OF FLOWERS, THE FAMILY REQUEST THAT YOU MAKE A DONATION TO: THE ALZHEIMER'S ASSOCIATION. THANK YOU Emma Jean Miller was the third of six children born to the union of Hugh Lee and Mattie Addison on August 12, 1924, in Tupelo, Mississippi. Emma received her formal education in the Lee and Pontotoc County School Districts. Following high school, she attended Mississippi Industrial College in Holly Springs, Mississippi for two years. During her time at Mississippi Industrial College, she did a two-year teaching apprenticeship. Emma was united in holy matrimony to John Alvis Miller on January 27, 1946, in Pontotoc County, Mississippi. To this union two children were born. John and Emma were part of The Great Migration when they moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin in November 1947. Emma's spiritual life began at an early age and upon moving to Milwaukee, she joined St. Matthew CM.E. Church. She joined the Senior Usher Board and remained a faithful and active member of the church until 2006, when ill health prevented her from continuing to serve. Emma worked several jobs before deciding to stay home with her children. During her time at home, she began pressing and curling hair which led to her career as a licensed beautician from 1960 to 2006. Emma spent most of those years at Unique Beauty Salon (N. Port Washington Rd., Milwaukee, WI) providing haircuts, wash and sets, relaxers, Jheri curls, S-Curls and the enduring press and curls. Emma loved socializing and entertaining friends and family. She was an outstanding cook and looked forward to cooking large dinners for family holidays. Her baking was just as good as her cooking. She always had special requests for her pineapple coconut and pound cakes. Emma's spirit was always pleasant and kind, but she could be "tough as nails" if you made the mistake of testing her. She was a forward thinker with a flair for the finer things in life. As a result, her dedication to family and faith motivated her to work hard to provide a comfortable life for her and her family. Emma never forgot where she came from and made sure to pass her history along to the upcoming generations. Emma peacefully departed this life on Wednesday, December 30, 2020 after a fifteen-year battle with Alzheimer's disease. She is preceded in death by her husband of 51 years, John A. Miller; her parents, Hugh Lee and Mattie Addison; sisters, Alice Beckley and Josephine Owens; brothers, Jimmie Lee Addison, L. C Addison, Hubert Addison, and James Lee. Left to cherish her memory and continue her legacy are her children, James A. Miller and Brenda (Albert) White-Phillips; four grandsons, Kevin (Tina) Miller, Dexter (Shalonda) Weaver, Damon (Erica) Miller, and Rashad (Yolanda) White; nine great grandchildren, Salina Clark, Devin Miller, Mya Miller, Jordan Weaver, Jackson Weaver, Alexander Jackson, Jayson White, Mekhi White, and.Micah White; one great, great granddaughter, Olivia Bates; daughter-in-law, Gloria Miller; brother-in-law, Reverend Paul Owens, Sr.; three sisters-in-law, Annie Marie Addison of Stone Mountain, GA, Mary Joyce Addison of Charlotte, NC, and Magnolia Miller of Pontotoc, MS; and a host of nieces, nephews and other loving relatives arid friends.