Final Salute

Ricky Eugene Miller was born Aug. 31, 1953, in Waurika, OK, to Eugene Henry and Marie Yvonne (Welch) Miller. He died on July 16,2025 at his home in McCalla, AL. A Funeral service will be held at McCalla Memorial Funeral Home officiated by Fr. David Tew and Fr. Vic Minish and graveside service will be held at the Waurika Cemetery in Waurika, Oklahoma officiated by Rev. Mike Bates. Ricky is a 1971 graduate of Waurika High School. In 1978, he graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in history from Central State University (now the University of Central Oklahoma) and was class marshal of his graduating class. He graduated magna cum laude with a Master of Arts degree from Corpus Christi State University (now Texas A&M – Corpus Christi) in 1987. Ricky enlisted as a seaman recruit in the U.S. Naval Reserve on April 2, 1971. He retired from the Navy with the rank of lieutenant commander with more than 29 years’ service on July 1, 2000. During his naval service, he was stationed aboard several ships, an aviation squadron, and an admiral’s staff. He served overseas tours in Sardinia, Wales, and Okinawa. He completed his last six-and-a-half years’ service with the Seabees (Naval Mobile Construction Battalion) during which time he qualified as a Seabee Combat Warfare Specialist. While stationed overseas, he served as adjunct staff for the University of Maryland, European Division, as a lecturer in history. After retiring from the Navy, Ricky, a lifelong stamp collector, was hired in 2001 as an editor for Linn’s Stamp News, the national newspaper for stamp collectors. Ricky retired from Linn’s in 2011, although he continued to submit a weekly column and freelance articles to the paper. Ricky came to Jesus early in life, being baptized at First Baptist Church, Waurika on July 3, 1960. At the time of his death, he was a parishioner of St. Bede’s Anglican Church in Birmingham, Ala., where he served as a lector and adult Bible school teacher. Ricky married Beverly Gail Johns of Jigger, La., in 1975. To this union, four children, a boy and three girls, were born. The marriage ended in divorce in 1994. In 1996, he married Dr. Rasa Kristen Juzikiene of Raseiniai, Lithuania, thereby happily acquiring another son. Ricky was a world traveler, always eager to go someplace he hadn’t been before. Ricky and Rasa enjoyed ocean cruises, and they eventually visited 73 countries on six continents.
An obsessive collector, Ricky’s stamp collection encompassed the stamps of more than 100 countries, while his library contained more than 1,000 hardback books in dust jackets. He loved the classic Hollywood movies of the 1920s through the 1960s with hundreds of titles in his DVD collection. Ricky loved dogs, and he was rarely without canine companionship. Genealogy was another of Ricky’s passions, and he traced all his forebears back to his fourth great grandparents, and many much farther back than that. Among his direct ancestors are four French and Indian War veterans, 17 Revolutionary War soldiers (including one Hessian), four War of 1812 veterans, two Civil War soldiers (one on each side), and one World War II Navy veteran (his father). Ricky was predeceased by his parents. He is survived by his wife of the home; his children, Hubert (Idanea) of La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico; Alexis Surratt (Jerry) of Gulfport, Miss.; Rytis Juzikis (Kelly) of McCalla; Hesper Miller-Daniel (John) of Picayune, Miss.; and Anastasia Fazende (Jason) also of Picayune; 11 grandchildren; one great grandson; his brothers, Micky (Jeannine) of Bowie, Texas; Dicky “Jake” (La May) of Dewey, Okla; and Ikey (Robin Sue) of Wichita Falls, Texas; and his sister Nicki Etheridge (Wayne) of Waurika. He is also survived by his two lifelong best friends, Rev. Mike Bates of Irving, Okla., and Homer Lee Greer Jr. of Albuquerque, N.M.

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