Lora S. Miller

Lora S. Miller, age 89, and widow of Jack F. Miller passed away on June 25, 2026. A Kentucky native, she was born in Monticello to Prentice and Ollie Southwood. She enjoyed her rural childhood, interrupted briefly by the two years her family lived in Indiana, where her parents worked building aircraft during WWII.

A lifelong learner, she graduated from Wayne Co. High School at age 16 followed by UK at age 20, with a degree in Medical Technology. With her first job at Jewish Hospital in Cincinnati, she learned from her coworkers, many of whom were holocaust survivors. Married in 1958, she became a homemaker. While continuing her own studies in the sciences, she was also teaching her children reading, music, Bible verses, and a deep appreciation of nature.

She entered UL Medical School in 1971, completing a residency there in Internal Medicine. She treasured her time caring for patients in Somerset and later at the Veterans Hospitals in Lexington. She retired from the federal service at VAH in 2010. Her federal service actually dated back to 1964, when she worked as a crew leader for the Census of Agriculture.

She later returned to UK as a Donovan Scholar, studying art, a lifelong joy for her. Her artistry was also expressed through beautiful quilting and flower gardens.

In addition to her husband, she was preceded in death by her parents and four siblings. She is survived by her children, Joseph (Charlene) Miller, Jacqueline (Ronald) Matar, and five grandchildren.

Celebration-of-life services will be held on Saturday, July 18th at Clark Legacy Center-Brannon Crossing. The visitation will take place from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m., followed by the celebration-of-life service at 2:00 p.m. Location: Clark Legacy Center, 601 E. Brannon Rd., Nicholasville, KY 40356.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to:

the National Right to Life Educational Foundation (https://secure.anedot.com/nrledfoundation/donate)

or

the Wesley Village Staff Christmas Gift Fund (https://wvillage.org/donate/qgiv/). Please select ‘Staff Christmas’ as the designation.