Louis Miller Jr.

Bud Miller was born in Wichita Falls, Texas December 9, 1922 to Alice Dorthea Hughes and Louis A. Miller, Sr. and was raised in Oklahoma City. From an early age he enjoyed tinkering and fixing things. His love of inventing  started early in life.  At age fourteen, he was living across the street from Sylvan Goldman, the man who invented the shopping cart, and was there every day watching the process, helping anyway he could. As teenagers, he and his best friend, George Basore, created their own go karts using washing machine motors, and rode around the streets of Oklahoma City. If you read the history of go karts, it will tell you that the go kart was invented in 1956. Bud and his friend George were building go karts in the 1930s. He fondly built a replica of his first go kart in the 1990s. His love of go karting peaked in the 1960s when he raced in events in Garnett, KS and Kansas City, KS, even creating his own event one year. In 2004, he raced in a vintage go kart race, at the age of 81, riding in his favorite kart. It made him so happy to be able to do that.He loved the challenge of making something from spare parts and ingenuity. Among many other fascinating things, he created a battery powered wheel barrow long before you could buy one and a trolling motor from a weed eater. Ask anyone who knew him and they can tell you of something he put together that worked. This gave him a great sense of accomplishment and satisfaction.He proudly attended Oklahoma Military Academy in Claremore, OK. He joined the Army and flew in the Army-Air Force until honorably discharged in 1945.He married Geraldine Tilton, Gerry, in 1948 and was married 60 years until her death in 2008. His father was a salesman who opened a hardware store in Kansas City, Kansas in 1947. In 1948 Bud and Gerry moved to Kansas City, Missouri and settled in Clay County, near his parents, and began to work at the store, Miller Hardware. He worked there until he retired. This job allowed him to do the things he liked to do, talk to people, guide them with their repairs, make new friends, and help others. He was very generous and helpful to people in need. He always gave people a chance and a second chance and never gossiped or judged others.  He was quiet and unassuming, thoughtful and helpful. There are endless stories of the wonderful things he did for people out of the goodness of his heart, never asking for anything in return.He built 2 houses at the Lake of the Ozarks and maintained them, as well as his Kansas City home, as long as he was physically able. For many years he was the "do it yourself man" on a 5 a.m. radio show on WDAF 61 Country.  He would get up at 3 o'clock to go get donuts first to share with everyone. He enjoyed being on the show immensely and was tickled to be known as Bud Miller and the Wolf Pack. Bud loved helping anyone that needed help whether in the store, on the radio or on the road.He had three children, Hughes, Louis and Suzanne. 5 grandchildren, Essie Marie, Julia, Holly, Aaron and Jacob. 5 great- grandchildren, Anthony, Nova, Brent, Adam, and Caleb. All will miss him greatly and will cherish wonderful memories of him.Funeral services will be at 2:00 pm Sunday May 19th at Mount Moriah Terrace Park Funeral Home, with visitation preceding services 1:30-2:00 pm. Burial will be in Mount Moriah Terrace Park Cemetery.

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