TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG) – Laying flowers, candles and notes of remembrance, community members gathered, Wednesday to honor the life of Richard Miller.
Miller, a beloved member of the church, was killed April 17 when a tree and some power lines fell on a truck while Miller was inside. Miller was a passenger inside the vehicle, which was being driven by Pastor Andrew Edwards.
“You can tell by the outreach tonight,” assistant pastor Robert VanDyke said. “There were a lot of people who loved Richard, and the impact he had on their life will go on.”
Friends and Family laid their tokens of remembrance on what’s left of the tree, now snapped down to a stump.
“Our hope with this service is to redeem a tragic place and a tragic memory and turn it into a positive for the community, for the family,” associate pastor Joe Ballard said.
Ballard told 13 Action News, Miller and Edwards were on their way home from a bible study when the accident occurred. Ballard was in the vehicle with them just moments before.
He was able to recover the sermon Miller had given earlier that night from the truck, comforting the community with words written by Miller.
Partitioners are remembering Miller as someone who was caring and always there for others.
“When you would talk to him, he would be a little nervous at first, he was a little shy,” Church member, Jenny Bromley, said. “But, then once you got him talking, he was absolutely the most sweetest person ever.”
Pastor VanDyke said he lived close to Miller and used to give him rides to church. In doing so, he said he learned a lot about Miller. He said they would often talk about sports, razzing each other about their different teams. He said one thing he admired most was Miller’s passion to spread the word of Jesus.
“It’s kind of crushing when somebody you are so close to passes like that,” VanDyke said. “But, we know that God has a purpose and a plan and God has brought a lot of people together as a result of tragedy.”
Northwest Baptist will hold a public service for Miller before he is laid to rest, Saturday, April 26, at 10 a.m.
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This article was published by WTVG on 2025-04-23 23:23:00
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