Phil Miller

Phil Miller, age 66, of Shelbyville, Tennessee, went home to be with his Lord on Easter Monday, April 6, 2026. He was the son of the late Edward Levi and Bessie (Thomas) Miller of Cannon County, who preceded him in death, along with his brother, Thomas Edward Miller and niece, Ann Marie (Don) Dismukes. He is survived by two sisters, Rita Grisham of Murfreesboro and Judy Higgins of The Villages, Florida. Other family includes nieces and nephews, Jeani Davenport, Tim Higgins, Tracy (Darrell) Duncan, Ted (Lisa) Higgins and Chip Grisham as well as seven great nieces and nephews in Tennessee, Indiana and Florida.

Also preceding him in death was long-time companion, Rachel Prince. Survivors of her loving family include Shellie (Shannon) Talley, Anthony (Margaret) Prince, Phillip (Jisookshin) McGee, Alex Talley and a host of other beloved family members.

Phil spent his last three and one-half weeks in palliative care in Vanderbilt and NHC Lewisburg, where he found unexplainable peace about the prognosis he faced. He remarked more than once that his life brought him to the brink of death several times when he was not ready and very scared. Now, however, he was at complete peace, and ready to go to his eternal home with his Savior. He remarked on Easter Sunday evening that since it was Easter, when Christ died for him, that it seemed “just right” that he was about to go to Him. He did just that 16 hours later.

A host of workplace and recovery community friends will sadly miss his ever-present enthusiasm and uninhibited communication style. Phil led an adventurous, sometimes tumultuous life, and he was quick to share thoughts that he felt would help others. He often said he was too analytical and too much of an open book. If you wondered about his experiences, simply ask, and he would regale you with tales of one of his escapades. He was likely to greet you with, “Hello, my name is Phil. What’s your name?” Not surprisingly, as a child, he sang loudly at church (whether he knew the words or not) and his confident, extroverted style made it easy to engage him in conversation.

Phil had a variety of talents in construction, maintenance, hobby-farming and care giving. He earned certifications in psychiatric and mental health technologies and had hands on experience in these fields as well. Perhaps not as well known, Phil was quite a dancer – square dance, line dance, buck dance. He was part of a competitive troupe that performed on stages, festivals and fairs throughout the region in the early 1990’s. Yes, he had rhythm!

A private Celebration of Life was on April 18 at Calvary Baptist Church, Shelbyville, Tennessee. It would be Phil’s wish that his perseverance through the trials of life be carried forward by those who had the privilege of knowing him. He leaves behind a (far too short) lifetime of memories and will be greatly missed and forever remembered.

Woodbury Funeral Home, 615-563-2311 or to leave condolences and memories for his family, please visit www.woodburyfuneralhome.net 

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