James Franklin Miller 11/07/1929 - 6/14/2023
Jim Miller, 93, of Topeka, Kansas passed away on June 14, 2023 at the Windsor of Lawrence. Jim was born and raised in Topeka, Kansas. He was preceded in death by his wife Irene Fields. They had three children Ron/Debbie, Kerry, and Scott /Carla, and two grandchildren Eric and Micayla.
Jim served on a destroyer in the United States Navy. Following his service he worked at Butner's IGA, sold insurance for Franklin Life, drove an ice cream jeep and managed Sunflower Bowl before taking the civil service exam and landing a job as a letter carrier for the United States Post Office. He carried mail on the same route for many years and was then promoted to supervisor. He later wished to become a postmaster. He started in a small office in St. George, Kansas so small in fact it had an outhouse behind the building which he was able to remedy in short order. Jim moved from St. George to a larger office in Humboldt and then to a still larger office in Junction City that included Fort Riley. Jim's next endeavor in the USPS was to run for the office of president of the National Association of Postmasters of the United States (NAPUS). He ran his campaign as an underdog against a worthy opponent from California and won the election. He served a two-year term in Washington, DC and then moved back to Topeka where he remained engaged as past president for many years following his retirement.
Jim's community involvement included Boy Scouts of America, the Lions Club, Kansas State University's Johnson Cancer Research Center, First Christian Church, and the Topeka Zoo where he donated snakes including copperheads and rattlesnakes for their exhibits. He donated so many snakes the zoo was able to exchange them for other animals from other zoos.
A memorial service will be held on Wednesday June 28th at 10:00am at the Penwell-Gabel Midtown Chapel, 1321 SW Tenth Avenue in Topeka.
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