Edna Lucille Miller

Remembering Lucille Miller, Dead at 98. Every Southern small town has iconic people who stay their entire lives and leave a mark on four or five future generations. Bald Knob had one of these in Edna Lucille Miller, 98, who passed away peacefully in her sleep on March 8. Lucille was preceded in death by her only husband James Frank Miller and grandson Devon Robert Miller. She is survived by James Hugh (Jim) Miller of Bald Knob and Robert Frank (Bob) Miller (Lece) of Bald Knob; James Hugh (Jamey) Miller III (Tina) of Judsonia; granddaughter Whitney Linden West (Josh) of New York City; great-granddaughter Sarin Miller; great-granddaughter Alexandra West and great-grandson Bradley West. Lucille (“Lou,” “Nana” or to many of us “Mama Lou”) was born on February 7, 1925, in Vanndale, AR, to Jennings Clifford Lillard and Mary Jane (McClintock) Lillard. She had two sisters: the late Dorothy Newberry of Arkadelphia and Agnes Sharp of Little Rock. The family grew up in the small town of Uptonville, TN, during the Great Depression, where they had a small store, farmed and raised chickens and hogs. Lucille managed the house chores and attended school in nearby Mercer, where she graduated Mercer High School. The sisters’ Aunt Jessie arranged for them to move to Little Rock and attend Draughon School of Business for Women. One evening, a friend and her date took Lucille along. Driving to Hilltop Lounge in Little Rock for a night of dancing, they spotted a young man dressed in a navy uniform crossing the street. The date said, “Hey, I know that guy,” rolled down his window and invited the sailor to join them. That sailor was Frank Miller. During their early marriage, Frank was stationed in the Navy in Little Rock while Lou finished her studies and graduated Draughon. Afterward, she worked as Head Bookkeeper/Secretary for the Whiteco Strawberry Processing Plant and later as Bookkeeper for the Bald Knob Water Department. But most people far and wide knew her from the Bulldog Restaurant owned by Bob and Lece for 40 years. Lucille was instrumental in developing the menu for the Bulldog, from catfish batter to BBQ sauce (requiring 43 taste tests until she was satisfied they had a winner). It was her strawberry shortcake, however, that won her notoriety far from home. Throngs of people, some driving from as far as Nashville and Baton Rouge, descended on Bald Knob each April through August to get their shortcake fix from Lucille’s secret recipe, perfected with her mother-in-law Lyda Miller. The delicacies were a cross between airy little pie crusts and barely sweetened cookies the diameter of a baby’s pacifier. Consistency was what made Lucille a consummate Southern cook, no matter who or how many she was feeding. But what made her iconic in this small town was her feisty love of life. You didn’t want to get sideways with her, but she could go to bat for you and win against the biggest adversary. She was a saucy pistol, unsinkable, impeccably dressed in her day, hair always coiffed, with a distinctive Southern lilt heavy with Tennessee. She worked hard, loved to golf and host Bridge Club, where she served killer custard pies made from scratch, casseroles and ambrosia. She was like a flamenco dancer with a Spanish rose in her teeth; sexy, coquettish even in her late 90s – holding court and imparting wisdom acquired over decades of lemons and lemonade till the day she died. More than a few sought her counsel over the years – young and old. But her relationship with the youngest generations kept her ageless and timeless. Granddaughter Alex found in her Nana someone fun-loving she learned to trust implicitly. They played dress-up in Nana’s clothes (Lucille was about half as tiny as a child herself), her high heels and bright red lipstick. “Nana,” three-year-Alex said one day, “I need to tell you a secret but you have to promise not to tell anyone!” Nana promised. “I wet my bed,” Alex whispered. And Nana without blinking said, “Well honey, I wet my bed, too!” Their bond was sealed. Rest in peace, Lucille. A memorial service will be held on April 6, 2023, at 10:30am, at the Bald Knob United Methodist Church. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Bald Knob United Methodist Church, 307 West Center Street, Bald Knob, Arkansas 72010.

Edna Lucille Miller

February 7, 1925 - March 8, 2023