It’s with our deepest sorrow that we announce the passing of Helen Rebecca Cawthon Miller.  Helen was 95 when she passed away on August 10, 2024.  A member of the Greatest Generation, her strength and fighting spirit was hard earned, surviving the Great Depression, World War II, Vietnam War and so much more.

Helen was born in Adairsville, GA on 11/13/28, the youngest girl of 8 children. The Cawthon family moved to Perry, GA when she was very young.  She lived on the family farm until she married.  Growing up, hand-me-downs were her uniform. What the Cawthon’s lacked in basics, they made up for in love, and it was here where Helen’s steadfast commitment to family was born.

Beauty, bravery, toughness, tenacity, creativity and caring are a few traits that described Helen. When it came to beauty, Helen of Troy had nothing on Helen of Perry! She was homecoming queen, cheerleader, and star of the production “Tom Boy.” After high school, Helen attended the Georgia College for Women in Milledgeville for 2 years, planning to become an English teacher.  She dropped out when she learned her brother and sister were paying for her schooling and found a job in Civil Service at Warner Robbins AFB.  It’s here where she traded her homecoming queen title for “Princess” when a dashing young Air Force Pilot stole her heart.

She married Jay Miller on Christmas Day, 1953. So began a whirlwind tour of the world. They were stationed in many places during those early years of marriage from Alaska to Japan.  Helen embraced the life of an Officer’s wife, entertaining, supporting Jay in his career advancement, typing his papers into the wee hours, sometimes even challenging his fellow officers to push up contests at the O-Club (Helen won).

Helen made running the house and raising 4 kids (often while Jay was TDY) look easy. In reality, it was incredibly hard work. She was truly one of the hardest working people we ever knew. From managing a home for a large family, working long hours in her Civil Service job, going back to college when the kids were grown, making holidays memorable, putting healthy meals on the table every night, sewing costumes for plays, experimenting with new recipes, mowing the lawn, growing a garden, shoveling snow and fixing whatever broke, Helen was the force behind her family.  Jay may have been the Colonel, but she was the little General.

As an Air Force pilot’s wife, Helen was often flying solo. Her independent spirit and bravery served her and her children well during those times. Effectively a single parent in many ways, she seamlessly navigated track meets, Brownie retreats, football games, whatever and wherever the family needed to be, she got them there.

In addition to being a full-time homemaker, Helen also held jobs throughout her life in Civil Service at Warner Robbins AFB, VA in Minnesota, and Eglin AFB hospital as MEMO.

Helen and Jay spent 58 years together building their lives. Together they raised 4 children and made a lifetime of memories. Life may have robbed Helen of her husband, her hearing, her sight, her mobility, and her independence, but it never broke her. She fought her way back more times than we can count.

Helen leaves behind her 4 children, 5 grandchildren, her brother and countless nieces and nephews.  She will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery with her husband who preceded her in death.