Page created by: Kristin Miller Frasier

Lucille Ora (nee Lynn) Miller, passed away February 11, 2023, in Riverview, Michigan at the age of 92.

She was born on 9 February 1931 in Detroit, Michigan to her parents, Floyd and Ora (nee Morgan) Lynn. Lucille was the 4th of 6 children and loved to sing with her siblings from an early age.

Life was hard in the Great Depression, but Floyd had a good job at Chevy Gear and Axle in Detroit, just a few blocks away from the family’s southwest Detroit house, first on Military, then to Clark Street, right across from Clark Park, and then later moved to Mark Twain Street when Lucille was in 9th grade.

Upon graduating from Cooley High School in Detroit in 1948, Lucille joined the workforce, working in the mail room at Kern’s Department Store on Woodward Avenue in downtown Detroit. It was during this time, Lucille met her first love, Richard Langley, son of Jim (Pops) and Janette (nee Hoffa) Langley. Richard was joining the Marines and asked Lucille to write to him. They fell in love and were married in July of 1951.

Lucille began working for the Teamsters Local that included Van Drivers and Furniture Handlers in the early 1950’s while engaged to Richard Langley. Rick’s father, Jim Langley, affectionately known as Pops to Lucille, was the vice president of the local Lucille worked for. Upstairs in the Teamster Building was Rick’s uncle, Jimmy Hoffa. It was then that Lucille became an early advocate for women having a voice in the labor movement that continued throughout her life.

While Rick was deployed in the Korean Conflict, Lucille, who lived in the basement apartment created for her by her parents-in-law, and who had always loved horses, began riding regularly with Pops. Lucille purchased her first horse, Tony, a retired sulky racer, there at the stables where Pops stabled horse.
Lucille was often known to say that riding Tony was life riding a rocking horse. His movements were so smooth and perfect, you almost forgot you were on a horse at all.

Her second horse, Big Red, had been broken in by a woman, and he would not let any man ride him. After seeing Big Red toss a very pompous man that thought he could ride anything, Lucille fell in love with him and sold Tony to one of the stable hands who just adored him. The had would exercise Tony for her during the week, if she couldn’t get out to the stables as much as she’d like.

Lucille owned Big Red for several years, until Rick was finally heading back Stateside from Korea, having served 2 tours and having been awarded the Purple Heart not once, but twice. Lucille had to sell her beloved Big Red before she made the big move to Paris Island, South Carolina, where Rick took the assignment of a Drill Sergeant.

After living on base with Rick, and getting used to being a Marine wife, on 20 December 1954, their daughter, Lynn Ora Langley (later Tilton) was born on base.

When Lynn was about 3 months old, the base doctor sent Lynn, along with her parents, to Bethesda Naval Hospital for testing where her congenital heart defect was discovered.

Lucille and Rick wound up divorcing when Lynn was 20 months old.

Upon returning to Detroit with her now toddler, Lucille and Lynn moved back in with Lucille’s parents. Lucille, having had so much experience at working in labor union offices, went to work for the Motion Picture Projectionists Union office in Detroit.

She became the elected Secretary for her own clerical worker’s union, and remained a staunch voice for labor and, in particular, women in the labor union movement, for the rest of her life.

It was while working for the Projectionists Union local that she met William Reid Miller. Bill, as he was known, was a member of the local and for years. They talked over the phone, never meeting in person until Bill finally had to come into the office one day in 1965. That day, when Bill met Lucille in person, he knew she was the woman for him.

On 5 August 1966, Bill married Lucille and became the most proud step-dad there ever was! He just adored Lynn! And on 8 August 1970, Kristin Margaret Miller (later Frasier) was born.

Lucille remained active in her church choir and Kristin’s school, Hosanna Tabor Lutheran, being the “pizza lady” once a month on the school’s hot lunch Wednesday, as well as a soprano in the church’s choir.

Lucille and Bill helped found the Metropolitan Youth Symphony as Kristin had taken up the violin at age 7, and they, along with many other parents, thought there should be more youth symphony options in metro Detroit.

Lucille went on to sing soprano in two other church choirs, Immanuel Lutheran in Dearborn Heights, where she was joined by her now teenage daughter Kristin, getting into all sorts of mischief with fellow soprano, Betty B, who became Mom’s lifelong best friend.

Later, Lucille joined the choir at Grace Lutheran in Redford, where she made many more friends and had the privilege of being able to sing in that choir with her big brother, John Lynn.

In September of 1994, Lynn, Lucille’s beloved older daughter, passed away from her congenital heart defect. Lucille was devastated, as were Bill and Kristin. However, through sheer strength of will, Lucille moved forward and finished a very complicated quilt that Lynn had started for her husband, Tom, that Lucille was able to pour her love for Lynn into, thereby helping her heal from losing her oldest daughter, who was only 39 at the time of her death, and being able to gift her first son-in-law a quilt of love that both she and Lynn had worked on.

In the fall of 1995, Kristin met her future husband, Keith Frasier. Keith became the apple of Lucille’s eye. Kristin and Keith were married in a traditional Scottish wedding (kilts, bagpipes and all!) on Halloween of 1998. Lucille sewed Bill’s kilt for the occasion out of tartan fabric Kristin and Keith had imported from Scotland in Bill’s family plaid (Clan Donnachaidh).

In late January 2000, Lucille’s beloved husband, Bill, passed away from complications of congestive heart failure. Though devastated, Lucille admirably embraced life with renewed vigor and did a lot of traveling with family and friends.

In the fall of 2004, Keith, who was a veteran of the Army Reserves, and was an active duty member of the Michigan Army National Guard, was deployed to Operation Iraqi Freedom. Lucille was fiercely proud of her second son-in-law, and threw herself into supporting her daughter, knowing exactly what it was like to have a husband deployed.

Upon Keith’s return from the Middle East, Lucille was very supportive of, as well as understanding of, Keith’s readjusting to civilian life and his immediately returning to nursing school, which he was pulled out of to be sent overseas. Lucille had saved every single one of Keith’s letters and emails and collected them all in a memory binder for Keith and Kristin to look back on later in their lives, as well as with any children they might have.

Well, Lucille didn’t have too long a wait. Her very favorite person in the whole world was born on 26 November 2008, Rodrick William Frasier. Rodrick was the apple of her eye the rest of Lucille’s life! Rodrick could do no wrong. She loved him “to the moon and back.” She still remained fond of her daughter and son-in-law, and loved them very much, as well, but Rodrick was the love of her life!

In July of 2015, Lucille sold her house in Redford, where she lived since she and Bill bought the house in 1971, and happily raised their family there, and moved in with Kristin, Keith and Rodrick at their house in Wyandotte. Lucille lived very happily there until August of 2019, when her Parkinson’s Disease became so bad that Kristin could no longer care for her at home.

Lucille moved into Belle Fountain on 5 August 2019, which would have been Lucille and Bills 53rd wedding anniversary. Her roommate, Marie, was perfect for her. They were like two peas in a pod, bonding over their love of movies, game shows, and their similar upbringings in Detroit (Lucille) and Dearborn (Marie). The staff quickly became like family to Lucille as well as to Kristin, Keith and Rodrick, and the rest of their extended family.

It was in her room at Belle Fountain in Riverview that Lucille passed away from a long battle with Parkinson’s Disease on the evening of 11 February 2023, just 2 days after her 92nd birthday. She was surrounded by those she loved, as she passed peacefully in her sleep.

Mother of Kristin Margaret (nee Miller) Frasier (Keith David Frasier). Grandmother of Rodrick William Frasier Sister of Gail Lynda (Ron) McCaulley. Aunt of Gary, Gayle, Dennis, Cheryl, Roger, David, Michael, Mark, Elizabeth, and Jeffery. She was godmother to her nephew Gary and niece Elizabeth.

Preceding her in death was her daughter Lynn Ora (nee Langley) Tilton; husband William Miller: and siblings Madelyn (Edwin) Ott, John (Dorothy) Lynn, Leatrice (Marvin) Neubauer, and Thelma Diehl. Also preceding her in death were her nephews Gordon Ott and Michael McCaulley, and niece Lora Neubauer Clemons.


A Memorial service will be held at Trinity Lutheran Church, 465 Oak St in Wyandotte, MI on Saturday, the 25th of March, 2023, at 11am (family will be gathering and accepting visitors starting at 10am), with a luncheon to immediately follow.