Memorial Service: 12:30 p.m., Thursday, July 6, 2023
Location: St. Paul’s Lutheran Church
Reception: Following the Service
Location: St. Paul’s Lutheran Church
Jackie Miller, 95, died at the home of her daughter on Tuesday, June 27, 2023 surrounded by the love of her family. Jackie was born in Caswell County, NC to Bernice P. Poteat and Fletcher F. Poteat. She lived in Danville, VA before moving with her family to the Peninsula at 14. Jackie’s interests were numerous and she was good at all of them! Always willing to help anyone in need and always ready with a joke, Jackie had a quick wit. A great dancer and lover of music, she earned the title of “Jitterbug Queen of Copeland Park!” Her love of flowers led her to garden clubs and flower arranging, numerous blue ribbons and the greenest thumb in town. She was a very talented seamstress, and could do wonders on a sewing machine, whether it was creating new clothes, repairing old ones, making drapes, shades, slipcovers, even a wedding gown or two. She never shied away from sewing projects and even re-upholstered furniture pieces. She was an ace bridge player, playing all of her life, and playing in three different groups at the time of her death. Always a good athlete, Jackie played basketball and softball in her youth, she discovered golf at the age of 50 and quickly became addicted. She played in three local golf associations, Deer Run, Ft. Eustis and Hampton, and, yes, she had a hole-in-one. Jackie was a member of Beta Sigma Phi for 63 years, and at the time of her death, she was a sister in the Torch Bearer Epsilon Chapter. On top of it all, Jackie could cook and bake! While enjoying one of Jackie’s wonderful meals, Bill would often say that he felt so sorry for men who married women who couldn’t cook! She took special delight in trying new baking recipes and then sharing them. The members of all the groups above and her family can attest to that.
In 1944, when Jackie graduated from high school, there was a great need for applicants with math skills at NACA (current NASA). Many men were away at war which provided more opportunities for women applicants and Jackie was hired as a math technician, or as they were commonly known, “a computer” in January of 1945 for the 7’x10’ wind tunnel. Her career at NASA, from which she retired, included work at the Spin Tunnel and the Lunar Landing facility where she was on the front line of training many of the astronauts as they came to learn how to land the Lunar Lander on the surface of the moon. She loved her work there and was very proud of NASA’s accomplishments. More than her work, however, she would tell you that the best thing that came from her work at NASA was meeting Bill in 1945 at the wind tunnel. She and a co-worker tried to set Bill up with another friend and Jackie was pretty happy when it didn’t work out. She said that “the whole time I thought that he belonged to me” and he did! Jackie and Bill, Charles W. Miller, were married in December of 1947 at Trinity Methodist Church in Newport News. They celebrated 69 years together until Bill’s death in 2016. Jackie and Bill were charter members of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Hampton since 1953 and Jackie is the last surviving charter member of the congregation. Over the years, Jackie sang in the choir, was a member of the Altar Guild, made and repaired many of the church banners and was the “Linen-in Chief” of the altar cloths, taking great care in making, mending, cleaning and ironing them.
Jackie was predeceased by her husband, Bill; her mother and beloved stepfather, Charlie T. Slaughter; her sister, Barbara Bundick and her husband, Billy; her brother, Tom Poteat and his wife, Marsha; son-in-law, Billy Lawhon, and Martha’s partner, Pat Jones. Jackie is survived by her three daughters, Martha Miller of Newport News, Debra Lawhon Jackson (George) of Hampton and Susan M. Topping (Jeff) of VA Beach; grandson, Taylor Topping (Kristina) and granddaughter, Carly Topping Hurdle (Lance) of VA Beach; sister-in-law, Betty Miller of Tallahassee, FL; cousin, Catherine Carter Bendall of Danville and numerous nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews.
A Memorial Service celebrating Jackie’s life will be conducted by Pastor Tim Crummitt at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church on Thursday, July 6, 2023 at 12:30PM, followed by a reception in the fellowship hall. There will be a private interment for the family. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be given to St. Paul’s Memorial Fund c/o St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, 807 W. Mercury Blvd, Hampton, VA 23666. Arrangements by Weymouth Funeral Home.