Nyla Miller

Nyla Parsons Miller, age 69, passed away on December 9, 2021 in Payson, Utah. She was born on May 29, 1952 in Afton, Wyoming to Karol W. and Nelda May Peterson Parsons.

Nyla felt blessed to grow up in the beautiful Star Valley, the fourth of seven children. As the middle child, she was a born peacemaker. She and her surviving siblings, three brothers and two sisters, were raised on a small farm that had a little bit of everything-horses, cows, pigs, chickens, and rabbits. She participated in 4-H and also showed dairy cows at the Lincoln County Fair. The children were taught to work hard, to keep their word, and to enjoy the beauty of God's creations. Family vacations were mostly camping trips to nearby locations, with the area surrounding the Greys River being a favorite destination.

Nyla was a diligent student and in high school focused her attention on business classes. Her first "official job" was a secretarial position. One "unofficial job" was second mother to her two youngest siblings after her mother returned to work full time. She had a pleasing alto voice and loved to sing. There were years of piano lessons with some additional training on the organ. Nyla also learned to play the guitar. The flower beds around the family home looked their best when Nyla was tending to them. As an adult, one of her favorite times of the year was going to the nursery for bedding plants in late spring. She was skilled at crochet and put lovely edging on hundreds of baby blankets and burp cloths. Her cinnamon rolls were top notch.

Nyla was a lifelong member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and faithfully fulfilled a variety of callings without reservation. She relished her high level of involvement with the LDS Seminary while in high school and especially enjoyed her callings in the Primary and Relief Society in later years. Her faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ never faltered.

After graduating from Star Valley High School in 1970, she moved to Rexburg, Idaho to attend Ricks College, earning an associate degree in 1972. She then found employment at the Church Office Building in Salt Lake City, Utah working for the Department of Seminaries and Institutes. In April 1973 she transferred to the Computer Services Department at Brigham Young University in Provo, starting as an administrative assistant to the director. Over the course of the following 40 plus years before her retirement in mid 2013, her positions changed multiple times as her skills developed and her responsibilities grew. Her official job title upon retirement was Director of Engineering Services, Office of Information Technology. During those early years with BYU, Nyla finished her bachelor's degree while working full time, mostly through evening classes.

One of the most eventful years of Nyla's life was 2002. That year she graduated with her Master of Public Administration in April, turned 50 years old in May, and married Randy John Miller on June 15th in the Idaho Falls Temple. In addition to having similar careers in IT, they were both farm kids who loved the outdoors. They shared Nyla's home in Springville, Utah until 2014 when they moved to Nephi, Utah to be closer to her sister's family. Randy brought seven children to the marriage, and Nyla's life was greatly enriched by her involvement with them.

Nyla struggled with complicated health problems for a large portion of her life, living for years and years with chronic pain. Randy had been her primary caregiver prior to his death in August of 2020, despite facing health challenges of his own. Her health steadily improved with the good care she received while residing at Laurel Groves Assisted Living Center in Nephi, and by the spring of 2021 she was driving again and anxious to broaden her horizons. She was determined to live her life as independently as possible and moved to Orchard View Assisted Living in Payson, Utah. A friendship soon developed between Nyla and another resident, Clint Frank Hawkins, III, and they were married on October 16, 2021. His family welcomed her with open arms and she quickly learned to love them. Clint passed away unexpectedly on October 28th.

Nyla is survived by her sister, Maxine McPherson of Nephi, Utah and brother Lyndon Parsons of Brady, Texas; numerous supportive brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law, dear nieces and nephews, step-children and step-grandchildren; and many loyal friends with decades of association. She was preceded in death by her husbands Randy Miller and Clint Hawkins; parents Karol and Nelda Parsons; brothers Merlin, Walter, and Teryl Parsons; and sister Karon Poore.

A viewing will be held on Wednesday, December 15, 2021 from 11:00 to 11:45 a.m. at Anderson Funeral Home, 94 West 300 North, Nephi, Utah, followed by dedication of the grave at noon at Vine Bluff Cemetery, Nephi, Utah.