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Barbara Anne Miller, a longtime resident of Ponca City, died in her home in Chicago, Illinois, on Tuesday, July 2, 2013. She was an attorney who focused her practice on bankruptcy law and was a founding member at the firm at Miller & Miller Law Office PLLC, and formerly a partner at Miller Law Office at 120 N. Second St., Ponca City; she was also associated with the firm Yount, Yount & Yount of Galena, Kansas.
Barbara Anne Miller was born on January 10, 1956 in Kansas City, Missouri, to William James Miller and Geraldene Agnes Yount Miller.
She grew up in Ponca City, Oklahoma and graduated from Ponca City High School in 1974 where she was Senior Class Secretary and graduated with honors. She then attended Oklahoma State University and obtained her Bachelor of Arts Degree with honors in Spanish Education which took her only three years to complete, graduating in 1977. Here she was initiated into Kappa Delta Pi, the honorary education society.
After graduating from OSU, Barbara enrolled at Oklahoma Christian University for her Juris Doctorate studies. The last year she transferred and graduated from University of Tulsa College of Law in 1980 with honors and in the top fourth of her class. She was initiated into Phi Delta Phi, the oldest international honorary legal fraternity. During this time, she worked as a Deputy Court Clerk for Kay County in Newkirk, Oklahoma, and also interned at the Creek County District Attorney’s Office in Sapulpa, Oklahoma where she handled everything from misdemeanors to murder trials.
She was then admitted to the practice of law in the Oklahoma Bar in 1981 and soon joined the family firm at Miller, Miller & Miller in Ponca City (soon to be renamed Miller Law Office due to the large number of family members practicing). From 1983 to 1985 she worked as a Criminal Defense Public Defender for the Kay County Area, and then as Prosecutor for the Anadarko Area Court of Indian Offenses from 1988 to 1989, handling the prosecution work for five separate Indian Nations. She continued her focused practice in the area of bankruptcy and civil litigation at Miller Law Office, gaining renown across the State of Oklahoma until her death in 2013 and was ranked among the top 100 bankruptcy attorneys in Oklahoma. Throughout her career, she was admitted to the practice of law in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Oklahoma, and the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma, in addition to the United States District Courts of the Western and Northern Districts and the Ponca Nation. Always possessing a helping and giving personality, she engaged in a great deal of pro bono work and also served in a free legal clinic for the Ponca City area and the Warriors for Heroes program, providing free legal work for veterans through the Oklahoma Bar Association.
She had one son, Charleston Michael Noble, born February 24, 1990, of whom she was very proud. He graduated with honors from Northwestern University in Evanston, IL, and currently resides in Lund, Sweden.
She was a lifetime member of the United Methodist Church. Most of her life, she was a member of the First United Methodist Church in Ponca City, Oklahoma, where she participated in the sanctuary choir and the bell choir, receiving a hymnal for service to the church. She also worshipped at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church in Ponca City. For a brief period was a member of the Catholic Church.
She was a member of the American Association of University Women, serving as a past Membership Vice President. In this capacity she organized a yearly scholarship for graduating high school seniors, the annual Women’s Day Banquet, and numerous bake sales and other events throughout the community. She also participated in various study groups, including bridge, book of the month, afternoon and evening gourmet, and craft.
As a member of Toastmasters International, she served as a past President, winning numerous awards at the local and regional levels and helping to organize local and regional contests. She was also a member of the Oklahoma Anthropological Society, attending several digs around the State of Oklahoma and other states, always committed to preserving our cultural heritage. In addition, she was a member of the Archaeology Club, the International Club, and the Soroptimist Club, where she served as a past Secretary.
She enjoyed playing the piano, winning several state competitions during high school, one of her favorite competition songs being Chopin’s Military Polonaise. She also played the oboe and made both all-state orchestra and band as well as regional honor bands every year she was eligible. During her tenure, the Ponca City High School Band and Orchestra earned superior ratings at state and regional competition every year. She had an interest in science and won the state science fair during high school, and as a dancer she participated in tap, ballet, and jazz for many years. She held an international scuba diving license and was a certified water safety instructor, managing and/or lifeguarding at Briarbrook Country Club in Joplin, Missouri and Lincoln and Bogan pools in Ponca City. She enjoyed scuba diving all over the world, especially in the Caribbean, and she was an avid sailor, often sailing her 28-foot sailboat. She worked as a professional and private stained glass craftsman, making everything from skylights to 3D artworks. She enjoyed volunteering through her church, the Opportunity Center, the First Christian Church Meals, and Meals on Wheels. An extensive traveler, she visited all 50 states and 40 countries around the world.
She was predeceased in death by her parents, Geraldene Agnes Yount Miller and William James Miller, her maternal grandparents Oscar Maxel Yount and Pearl Berry Yount, aunts Helen Edith Yount and Venus Esther Yount, and uncle Kent Eldon Yount. Also her paternal grandparents Bertram Miller and Gladys Miller, aunts Doris Thelen and Susan Rash, and uncle Bertram Miller. She is survived by her son, Charleston Michael Noble of Lund, Sweden, and her two sisters, Elizabeth Pearl Miller and Carolyn Agnes Miller. She is also survived by nephew Kirk William James Miller III, and his wife, Arisara Miller, of El Dorado Hills, California, and their children, Lliam Fitzkirk Miller and Brynn Karis Miller.
A memorial service will be held at First United Methodist Church at Sixth and Central at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, July 13, with Rev. Robert Montgomery presiding. Visitation with family and friends will be held immediately after the service and prior to the service at her home at 828 Spring Road. Interment will follow in the family plot in Galena, Kansas.
Honorary casket bearers will be the Kay County Bar Association and former members of the American Association of University Women.
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