Tom Miller, 77, former Mayor of Franklin, passed-away on December 10th after complications following brain surgery.
Tom was born to Lou and Jean Miller on January 10, 1943. He attended Shawnee Mission East High School in Prairie Village, Kansas and graduated from St. John’s Lutheran College where he met his wife, Lydia Schoppa. They have been married for 55 years.
Tom was a Commercial Broker for Benchmark Commercial Realty. As an active member of Our Savior Lutheran Church, he taught an Adult Bible Class and was on the Discipleship and Outreach team. He loved being involved with CLC the past four years and his Friday morning Men’s Bible study for more than 20 years. He enjoyed the time spent with all the men at Empty Hands Fellowship. He was awarded the Boy Scout of America Silver Beaver Award in 2002 for outstanding leadership. As a member of Franklin Breakfast Rotary, he was a 4th Level Paul Harris Fellow. He was one of the founders of Mercy Community Healthcare, formerly Mercy Children’s Clinic and served on the Board of Directors of Williamson Christian College for many years.
As Mayor he accomplished many things for Franklin, among those, the acquisition of Harlinsdale Farm and several Civil War battlefield sites including Carter’s Hill and Eastern Flank Battlefield Park. As a result of his leadership, he received a Presidential appointment to the Advisory Council of Historic Preservation by President George W. Bush. He cared deeply for all of those who were employed by the city no matter their job. He said it was because of their work that the city was successful. When asked if the city could house evacuees from Katrina, he stepped forward to lead that and was amazed at the citizens’ willingness to volunteer to lead, give, and love those that were hurting. He was so proud of the citizens of Franklin! No matter how involved he was in the community, he always took time to enjoy his family.
Tom is preceded in death by his parents, infant son, Paul, and his son-in-law, MSG James Ponder III.
In addition to his wife, he is survived by his children Lori Brown (Mike) of Franklin, Lisa Richards (Greg), of Bentonville, Ark., Leslie Ponder, of Franklin, Chris Miller (Stacey), of Germantown, Tn. and Jon Miller (Bethany), of Franklin, twenty-one grandchildren and one great-granddaughter.
Visitation will be from 4-8 pm on Thursday, December 17, at Williamson Memorial Funeral Home and on Friday, December 18, at 10 am, one hour prior to 11 am Service at Our Savior Lutheran Church, 5110 Franklin Rd, Nashville 37220. (www.oslcnashville.org to watch live if unable to attend) Burial will follow at Williamson Memorial Gardens in Franklin. Pallbearers will be his grandsons.
Memorials may be given in honor of Tom Miller to Room In The Inn (www.RoomInTheInn.org) or to Williamson College (www.WilliamsonCC.edu).
