In Memory of Shelba Jean Miller

In lieu of flowers, please consider donations in memory of Shelba toward the care of her grandson, Clyde Lee Casey, who was born with a rare genetic syndrome and will need lifelong care.

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Shelba Miller

September 19, 1946 – October 28, 2023

Shelba Jean (Lynn) Miller, age 77, passed away Saturday, October 28, 2023, at Life Care Center of Red Bank, in Chattanooga, TN. She was born on September 19, 1946, to the late H.B. and Argie (Watson) Lynn and lived in Manchester all her life.

Shelba was a lifelong member of Main Street Church of Christ and loved the Lord with all her heart. She was kind, patient and accepting. She had a special way of making others feel seen, heard and understood.

Shelba was the first of her family to attend college and graduated from Tennessee Tech in the Spring of 1968 with her teaching degree. Soon after, she married Charles Miller and they started their life and family together.

Shelba was a lifelong teacher and learner. She began her teaching career at Manchester City Schools in the Fall of 1968 where she taught at College Street Elementary. Later she taught at East Coffee Elementary and Coffee County Middle School. She loved teaching and enjoyed getting to know her students and helping them navigate their education and life. Shelba also loved working with preschool age children and ran her own preschool called My Friend’s House in the early 1980s. Former students would often stop to reintroduce themselves later in life and share special memories from their time in her class.

She was a gifted teacher and mentor to young people. Shelba helped many young people learn to believe in themselves and recognize their own value. She kept in touch with students and followed their lives and achievements and delighted in their successes.

Shelba’s greatest joy in life was being a mother to her two children and a grandmother to her four precious grandchildren. When describing her as a mother, the word love comes to mind: abundant, unconditional, authentic love. She was a constant presence throughout both her children’s lives and was always available to offer kindness, support and a listening ear. She will be greatly missed.

Shelba enjoyed reading, planting flowers and spending time with her family. She delighted in nature and followed the changing seasons closely. She loved watching the leaves blow off the trees in Autumn and often called her children or friends to remark on the color of the sky, the smell of the breeze or the sounds of night noises. She liked to stay up late just to watch the moon and stars overhead. She loved music and going to plays at the Manchester Arts Center. She loved people and enjoyed staying connected to those she loved even in her later years when she was mostly homebound.

In addition to her parents, Shelba is preceded in death by her brother Billy Lynn. She is survived by her two children, Lee (Lindy) Miller and Karen (Brandon) Casey, four grandchildren Aquila, Ivrian, Arden and Clyde, and her former husband and lifelong friend Charles Miller as well as her loving extended family.

Visitation will be held 1:00PM – 3:00PM Saturday November 11, 2023 at Manchester Funeral Home with a Celebration of Life service immediately following in the chapel. www.manchesterfuneralhome.com