Miller, Lowell Jay (1940-1968)

Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 1969 Jan 2 p. 3

Birth date: 1940 Mar 28

text of obituary:

Pilot, Nurse Among 20 Victims of Plane Crash

Among 20 persons fatally injured on Christmas Eve when an Allegheny Airlines plane crashed while approaching the Bradford, Pa. airport were Lowell J. Miller, 28, a pilot for the airline and former resident of Beemer, Neb., and Miss Esther Lutz, R. N. of Holland, Mich. and a native of Elizabethtown, Pa.

Both were passengers on the plane, Miller and his crew had completed a flight to Detroit and he was en route to Alexandria, Va. to spend Christmas with his wife, the former Elaine Schmidt, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Ben H. Schmidt of rural Whitewater, Kan.

Miller, son of Mr. and Mrs. G. G. Miller of Beemer, and his wife met while he was in 1-W service in Kansas City and she was employed there as a nurse. He had been a commercial pilot for about three years. The couple had no children.

Funeral services for Miller were held Saturday at Beemer.

Miss Lutz, 33, was the daughter of Bishop and Mrs. Clarence Lutz of Elizabethtown. She received a master's degree in nursing administration from the University of Pennsylvania last May, and the following month became director of nursing services at City Hospital in Holland.

Funeral services were held Sunday afternoon at the Elizabethtown Mennonite Church. Besides her parents, Miss Lutz leaves two sisters and two brothers: Mary Elizabeth, Marsha and James, all of Elizabethtown, and John of Quechee, Vt.

Twenty-seven persons survived the crash of the Convair 580 propjet, which was en route from Detroit to Washington, D. C.

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Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 1969 Jan 30 p. 11

text of obituary:

LOWELL JAY MILLER

Lowell Jay Miller, son of Gideon and Dora (Birky) Miller, was born at Buxton Hospital, Newport News, Va., on March 28, 1940.

He died while a passenger on a twin-engine Allegheny Airlines Convair 580, which crashed en route from Detroit to Washington, D. C. The crash occurred during an attempted landing approach to Bradford, Pa., on Dec. 24, 1968. He was on his way home to be with his beloved wife on Christmas day. His age was 28 years, eight months and 27 days.

He accepted Jesus Christ as his Saviour and was baptized on Aug. 29, 1954. He was a member of the Rainbow Avenue Mennonite Church at Kansas City, Kan.

On April 20, 1963, he was married to Elaine Schmidt, formerly from Whitewater, Kan., who survives. Also surviving are his parents, of Beemer, Neb.; three brothers and four sisters, Kathleen (Mrs. Curtis Troyer) of Middlebury, Ind., Orville of Glendale, Ariz., Wendell of Middlebury, Ind., Virginia (Mrs. Daniel Von Seggern) of French Morrocco [sic Morocco], Africa, Juanita, Mike and Jolene, all of Beemer, Neb. Also surviving are five aunts, two uncles, four nieces and three nephews.

Lowell had a great love and enthusiasm for life which inspired all who loved and knew him. His strong faith in god gave him courage to be a pilot. he was employed by Allegheny Airlines. he often stated that he was ready to meet his Lord whenever his time should come.