San Antonio's Leah Kendrick Miller spent a whirlwind 12 years in Los Angeles as the wife of pop and country music star Roger Miller.
"They shared a similar sense of humor and enjoyed spending time together," said Shannon Miller-Turner, one of the couple's two children. "She said 'we truly laughed all the time.'"
Leah Miller's sister Lois Callaway said she was never star-struck by her husband's growing popularity in the 1960's but was a supportive and loving wife whose home was fun to visit.
"You never knew who was going to come in," Callaway said.
Roger Miller, who won 11 Grammy Awards for songs such as "Dang Me," "Chug-A-Lug" and "King of the Road" and penned the music for the Broadway play "Big River," and Leah Miller, his second wife, divorced in 1976.
Turner attributed the divorce to "the pressures of fame and the life-style that comes with it." Her parents did not communicate much afterward, she said, though she recalls a touching telegram of congratulations her mother sent Roger Miller after his musical score for "Big River" claimed a 1985 Tony Award.
"All she said was 'what a triumph,'" Turner siad. "She had great respect for his talent."
Leah Miller died March 25 at a San Antonio hospital. She was 71. Her former husband died of cancer in 1992 at 56.
She was born in San Antonio in 1941 to Guenevere La Plante Kendrick and R. M. Kendrick, who owned service stations in the city and across South Texas.A 1959 graduate of Alamo Heights High School, she attended the University of New Mexico for two years and then with a friend moved to Los Angeles, where she worked for an advertising company, family members said.
While she had already met Roger Miller after a San Antonio performance, they ran into each other once she moved to California and realized they lived near each other. That led to dates and eventually marriage in 1964, the same year "Dang Me" and other Miller hits were released.
After the divorce, Leah Miller lived in San Antonio and did not remarry. She focused on caring for her children and later her grandchildren.
Her daughter said she was a very private person but fun to be around.
"She was my best friend," Turner said.
While her parents had differences, her mother did not speak ill of Roger Miller or try to draw the children into the dispute, Turner said.
"What I hear over and over again is what a lady she was," the daughter said. "Her grace and quick wit were the elements that defined her."
Survived by: Daughter Shannon Miller Turner and son-in-law Jon Turner; son Roger Dean Miller Jr.; sisters Lova Sneckner and Lois Callaway and brother-in-law William "Sunny" Sneckner and Bob Callaway; and two grandchildren.
Memorial from the San Antonio Express Newspaper, March 26, 2013.
"They shared a similar sense of humor and enjoyed spending time together," said Shannon Miller-Turner, one of the couple's two children. "She said 'we truly laughed all the time.'"
Leah Miller's sister Lois Callaway said she was never star-struck by her husband's growing popularity in the 1960's but was a supportive and loving wife whose home was fun to visit.
"You never knew who was going to come in," Callaway said.
Roger Miller, who won 11 Grammy Awards for songs such as "Dang Me," "Chug-A-Lug" and "King of the Road" and penned the music for the Broadway play "Big River," and Leah Miller, his second wife, divorced in 1976.
Turner attributed the divorce to "the pressures of fame and the life-style that comes with it." Her parents did not communicate much afterward, she said, though she recalls a touching telegram of congratulations her mother sent Roger Miller after his musical score for "Big River" claimed a 1985 Tony Award.
"All she said was 'what a triumph,'" Turner siad. "She had great respect for his talent."
Leah Miller died March 25 at a San Antonio hospital. She was 71. Her former husband died of cancer in 1992 at 56.
She was born in San Antonio in 1941 to Guenevere La Plante Kendrick and R. M. Kendrick, who owned service stations in the city and across South Texas.A 1959 graduate of Alamo Heights High School, she attended the University of New Mexico for two years and then with a friend moved to Los Angeles, where she worked for an advertising company, family members said.
While she had already met Roger Miller after a San Antonio performance, they ran into each other once she moved to California and realized they lived near each other. That led to dates and eventually marriage in 1964, the same year "Dang Me" and other Miller hits were released.
After the divorce, Leah Miller lived in San Antonio and did not remarry. She focused on caring for her children and later her grandchildren.
Her daughter said she was a very private person but fun to be around.
"She was my best friend," Turner said.
While her parents had differences, her mother did not speak ill of Roger Miller or try to draw the children into the dispute, Turner said.
"What I hear over and over again is what a lady she was," the daughter said. "Her grace and quick wit were the elements that defined her."
Survived by: Daughter Shannon Miller Turner and son-in-law Jon Turner; son Roger Dean Miller Jr.; sisters Lova Sneckner and Lois Callaway and brother-in-law William "Sunny" Sneckner and Bob Callaway; and two grandchildren.
Memorial from the San Antonio Express Newspaper, March 26, 2013.
San Antonio's Leah Kendrick Miller spent a whirlwind 12 years in Los Angeles as the wife of pop and country music star Roger Miller.
"They shared a similar sense of humor and enjoyed spending time together," said Shannon Miller-Turner, one of the couple's two children. "She said 'we truly laughed all the time.'"
Leah Miller's sister Lois Callaway said she was never star-struck by her husband's growing popularity in the 1960's but was a supportive and loving wife whose home was fun to visit.
"You never knew who was going to come in," Callaway said.
Roger Miller, who won 11 Grammy Awards for songs such as "Dang Me," "Chug-A-Lug" and "King of the Road" and penned the music for the Broadway play "Big River," and Leah Miller, his second wife, divorced in 1976.
Turner attributed the divorce to "the pressures of fame and the life-style that comes with it." Her parents did not communicate much afterward, she said, though she recalls a touching telegram of congratulations her mother sent Roger Miller after his musical score for "Big River" claimed a 1985 Tony Award.
"All she said was 'what a triumph,'" Turner siad. "She had great respect for his talent."
Leah Miller died March 25 at a San Antonio hospital. She was 71. Her former husband died of cancer in 1992 at 56.
She was born in San Antonio in 1941 to Guenevere La Plante Kendrick and R. M. Kendrick, who owned service stations in the city and across South Texas.A 1959 graduate of Alamo Heights High School, she attended the University of New Mexico for two years and then with a friend moved to Los Angeles, where she worked for an advertising company, family members said.
While she had already met Roger Miller after a San Antonio performance, they ran into each other once she moved to California and realized they lived near each other. That led to dates and eventually marriage in 1964, the same year "Dang Me" and other Miller hits were released.
After the divorce, Leah Miller lived in San Antonio and did not remarry. She focused on caring for her children and later her grandchildren.
Her daughter said she was a very private person but fun to be around.
"She was my best friend," Turner said.
While her parents had differences, her mother did not speak ill of Roger Miller or try to draw the children into the dispute, Turner said.
"What I hear over and over again is what a lady she was," the daughter said. "Her grace and quick wit were the elements that defined her."
Survived by: Daughter Shannon Miller Turner and son-in-law Jon Turner; son Roger Dean Miller Jr.; sisters Lova Sneckner and Lois Callaway and brother-in-law William "Sunny" Sneckner and Bob Callaway; and two grandchildren.
Memorial from the San Antonio Express Newspaper, March 26, 2013.
"They shared a similar sense of humor and enjoyed spending time together," said Shannon Miller-Turner, one of the couple's two children. "She said 'we truly laughed all the time.'"
Leah Miller's sister Lois Callaway said she was never star-struck by her husband's growing popularity in the 1960's but was a supportive and loving wife whose home was fun to visit.
"You never knew who was going to come in," Callaway said.
Roger Miller, who won 11 Grammy Awards for songs such as "Dang Me," "Chug-A-Lug" and "King of the Road" and penned the music for the Broadway play "Big River," and Leah Miller, his second wife, divorced in 1976.
Turner attributed the divorce to "the pressures of fame and the life-style that comes with it." Her parents did not communicate much afterward, she said, though she recalls a touching telegram of congratulations her mother sent Roger Miller after his musical score for "Big River" claimed a 1985 Tony Award.
"All she said was 'what a triumph,'" Turner siad. "She had great respect for his talent."
Leah Miller died March 25 at a San Antonio hospital. She was 71. Her former husband died of cancer in 1992 at 56.
She was born in San Antonio in 1941 to Guenevere La Plante Kendrick and R. M. Kendrick, who owned service stations in the city and across South Texas.A 1959 graduate of Alamo Heights High School, she attended the University of New Mexico for two years and then with a friend moved to Los Angeles, where she worked for an advertising company, family members said.
While she had already met Roger Miller after a San Antonio performance, they ran into each other once she moved to California and realized they lived near each other. That led to dates and eventually marriage in 1964, the same year "Dang Me" and other Miller hits were released.
After the divorce, Leah Miller lived in San Antonio and did not remarry. She focused on caring for her children and later her grandchildren.
Her daughter said she was a very private person but fun to be around.
"She was my best friend," Turner said.
While her parents had differences, her mother did not speak ill of Roger Miller or try to draw the children into the dispute, Turner said.
"What I hear over and over again is what a lady she was," the daughter said. "Her grace and quick wit were the elements that defined her."
Survived by: Daughter Shannon Miller Turner and son-in-law Jon Turner; son Roger Dean Miller Jr.; sisters Lova Sneckner and Lois Callaway and brother-in-law William "Sunny" Sneckner and Bob Callaway; and two grandchildren.
Memorial from the San Antonio Express Newspaper, March 26, 2013.
Family Members
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
Advertisement
