Obituary of Koloma H. Miller

KOLOMA HUGHES MILLER

Koloma Hughes Miller died on April 28, 2024, at the age of ninety-eight. She was the beloved wife of Eugene Robert Miller (1922-2016) and mother of Robert Eugene Miller (b. 1946), Kathleen Miller Likes (b. 1948), and Michael John Miller (b. 1955). She is survived by her three children, thirteen grandchildren, nineteen great-grandchildren, and one great-great grandchild.   

Born in Dallas, Texas, in 1925, Koloma was the second-youngest of the five children of Thomas Oscar Hughes and Grace Jewell Hughes. Her big brothers Charles and Hal both died as heroes in the Second World War, with Hal’s bomber being shot down over Germany and Charles perishing shortly after he survived the Bataan Death March in the Pacific. Her sisters Billie Epsy and Loretta spent most of their lives in the Dallas area, where they married and left many children and grandchildren, and predeceased Koloma by more than two decades.        

During the war, Koloma went on a blind date arranged by her neighbor and met 2nd Lt. Eugene (“Gene”) Miller of the United States Army. They were married on St. Patrick’s Day in 1944 after only two months and five dates, just before Gene was shipped off to the Pacific theatre. The atom bomb was dropped on Hiroshima while his troop transport was on its way to Japan, and their first child, Robert, was born in Dallas a year after their marriage — a marriage which was to last for seventy-two very happy years. 

 After the war, Gene and Koloma moved to California to join Gene’s family there, and Gene spent over fifty years working as a production accountant in the entertainment industry, working on many famous films and TV shows such as “Lassie” and “The Lone Ranger”. Living first in North Hollywood and later Northridge in the San Fernando Valley, the Millers welcomed their daughter Kathleen and second son Michael, and the whole family became members at the First Baptist Church of Van Nuys. During the sixties and seventies, Koloma and her husband volunteered in many capacities at the church, including running the Fifth Grade Department. Koloma also volunteered for a time in the church office, and her work was greatly appreciated by Dr. Harold Fickett, Jr., the church’s senior pastor and a longtime family friend.     

 Koloma brought up her three children as proud Americans and as dedicated members of the First Baptist Church. Her husband Gene had been a talented golfer on the UCLA golf team before the war, and in later years Koloma and Gene would become longtime members of Calabasas Country Club. They played together in couples invitational tournaments in country clubs and public courses all across California, and won not a few of them. Indeed, Koloma was famous for having shot four holes-in-one! She was regarded by all as a fun and convivial presence on the golf course and in the clubhouse alike. Along with Gene, Koloma loved to play card games like Hand-and-Foot, and always rooted for her beloved L.A. Dodgers.  

In their later years, Koloma and Gene were members of the Church at Rocky Peak, where they continued to be active as part of the Trust Company Sunday school class. Like her husband, Koloma was a person of deep faith. She always began her day by reading from the Bible and from a little devotional called Our Daily Bread. She often remembered the many members of her growing family in her prayers, and she will long be remembered by them as a beautiful example of Christian faith. She and Gene were people of great joy – and of great laughter. All her children and grandchildren can recall countless evenings spent around the kitchen table together, playing games and telling old family stories – and laughing, always laughing!     

After losing her husband Gene eight years ago, Koloma often expressed her longing to be with him and their common Lord in heaven, but she waited patiently here on earth and awaited God’s call to come home. She received that call last Sunday, on April 28, 2024. She died peacefully and surrounded by the faces of her family. We who are left behind mourn her passing, but we will always be grateful for the wonderful and imperishable legacy of her undying faith and devotion.   

“Grant her eternal rest, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon her.” +