Peggy Jane Miller

Peggy Jane Miller of Emporia died on Tuesday, December 10, 2024, at Sunflower Care Legacy.  She was 81.

Peggy was born on June 1, 1943, in Strong City, Kansas, the daughter of Johnnie Samuel and Edna Louise Hartig Miller.  She married Woodrow W. Wilkinson, Jr., in January 1964 in Emporia.  They were later divorced.

Surviving family members include her daughters, Traci Meyer of Emporia and Christine Wilkinson of Emporia; grandchildren, Dalton (Monica) Meyer of Emporia, Blair (Doyle) Conley of Emporia, Justin (Tanya) Machnicki of Missouri, Tonya (Mikey) Smith of Emporia and Russell Machnicki of Emporia; great-grandchildren, Huxleigh Conley, Annabelle Rodriguez, Madilynn Rodriguez, Brianna Dains, and Rusty Smith; great-great grandchildren, Brecken Buettner and Grayson Rayburn; brother, Larry (Sylvia) Miller of Olpe; sisters, Linda (Bob) Grunewald of Shawnee, and Nancy (David) Gardner of Newton, and her best friend, Karen Fossland of Council Bluffs, Iowa.

She is preceded in death by her parents, brother Don Miller and infant brother Wayne Miller.

Peggy was a Crew Dispatcher of the Union Pacific Railroad for 30 years before retiring on June 3, 2009. She enjoyed playing Pitch at family gatherings with her brothers and sisters.  Some of her favorite things in life were reading, attending dinner theatres, and giving back scratches. She made the most delicious snickerdoodles, angel food cakes, and coconut meringue pies. During the summers she could be found taking vacations with her grandchildren and her favorite time was spring break trips to the Omaha Zoo. When Peggy and her friend Karen got together it was always something. They would head out on adventures which they named “Roadhouse Trips”. She said they would end up lost almost every time but their laughter when retelling those trips was infectious.

Cremation is planned with a Memorial Service at 4:00 p.m., Monday, December 16, 2024, at Roberts-Blue-Barnett Funeral Home with burial following at the Strong Township Cemetery, Strong City.  Memorial contributions to Emporia Public Library can be in care of Roberts-Blue-Barnett Funeral Home, P.O. Box 175, Emporia, Kansas 66801.