Obituary of Ina Kathryn Miller

Ina Kathryn “Ikie” Miller was born September 22, 1939 and passed from this life on November 9, 2017. Ikie as she was known by all was the only child of Jack and Mary Lee Smith Miller who predecease her. Raised in Pearland, she attended Pearland schools and graduated in 1955. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Southwest Texas State College (Texas State University) and a Master’s degree in Library Science from Sam Houston State Teachers College (Sam Houston State University). Ikie began her career teaching at many of the HISD schools (John R. Harris Elementary, Bastian Elementary and MacGregor Elementary to name a few). After receiving her master’s degree, she served as librarian for elementary schools in HISD. She retired from HISD after 25 years of service. However, she did not stop pursuing her love of books and was hired the very next year to be the librarian at Emory Weiner Schools where she worked for another 13 years.

Ikie had many friends and was fondly remembered by her former students. One student in particular, Chandra Wilson, has played the part of Dr. Miranda Bailey on Grey’s Anatomy for 13 seasons. Ikie loved to travel and went to Europe for 3 months after her graduation from SWTC. She also went to Africa on safari, a cruise through the Panama Canal, and to many other countries around the world. Being a librarian, she loved to read and always had a book or two on her night table. Her Christmas gifts to others were always books.

Ikie was also predeceased by her maternal and fraternal grandparents, Dave and Ina Smith and Homer and Edna Miller as well as her aunt and uncle Joy and Berry Miller, Jr., her aunt Frankie Smith and close cousins Mary Helen Miller and Berry “Bo” Miller, III. She is survived by her uncle David L. Smith of Pearland and cousins Martha Smith Singleton of Colorado Springs, Colorado, Susan Smith Lenamon and Leah Smith Bateman both from Pearland and her numerous friends.

Services for Ina will be held Saturday, November 11, 2017 at Clayton Funeral Home, 5530 W. Broadway, Pearland, Texas 77581.  The visitation will take place from 3:00 until 4:00 pm and the funeral service will follow beginning at 4:00 pm in the chapel with Mickey Scott officiating.  Online condolences may be left for the family at www.claytonfuneralhomes.com.