On December 30, 2023, the Judah community suffered a great loss with the passing of Dirk Miller. Not only was Mr. Miller the athletic director and junior high Bible teacher, he was also a friend and a key “behind the scenes” guy, always serving others.
Mr. Miller was involved in so much more than simply what his job entailed. He led worship at chapels, attended as many athletic events as he could, provided counsel to those with questions about their faith, strived to share God’s love with everyone he met, and greeted every student with a smile and his signature move, a fist bump.
Mr. Miller’s funeral was held on Friday, January 5, at Meadowbrook Community Church in Champaign. In tribute to their teacher and brother in Christ, Judah high school students, Judah junior high students, and Judah staff members made three memory boards on which they shared their favorite moments with Dirk Miller. Here are some of the moments that they shared:
“One of my favorite things about Mr. Miller was his joy and his passion for God. He would always smile, give me a fist bump, and wish me a good day in a soft, kind voice. The life he lived was an inspiration.”
“Mr. Miller made sure that we were always together as a team.”
“My favorite memory of Mr. Miller was when I got here and he welcomed me with open arms. I hadn’t felt comfortable until then, but I knew once he welcomed me that Judah was home.”
“I admired his love for his family and how kind he was.”
“My favorite memory is how he brought Jesus to our worship team and how he strummed the life out of his guitar.”
“I’ll miss his encouraging words on challenging teaching days, his fist bumps, and his godly counsel.”
“My favorite memory of Mr. Miller was how he would always stop in the hallway and ask how your day was and how he would compliment my different water bottles.”
“I loved it when Mr. Miller went really deep into the Bible. You could have a good deep chat with him.”
“My favorite memory of Mr. Miller is when I just came to Judah and he told me he was excited to have me here and on the team. After our first home game, he told me he was very proud of me.”
“I will always remember Mr. Miller noticing my son was sad at a basketball game, finding out why, and working to make it right.”
“I will always remember how much he loved his job.”
“How funny he was.”
“How he would say ‘amen’ randomly.”
“How he gave our class nicknames and used them constantly.”
“How when a video ended or a teacher left the room, he would always have us clap.”
“Talking with him about anything from basketball to Star Wars to Jesus.”
“Talking with him for two hours at retreat.”
“Talking with him about Jesus.”
“He always made time for people no matter how busy he was.”
“My most precious memory will always be him sitting next to me during a tough situation. His biblical word and wisdom will forever be etched in my heart.”
“If you needed someone to talk to, you could take an hour of his time, even when he had his own work that needed to be done.”
“My favorite memory of Mr. Miller was how much he cared about his students. You could tell he cared.”
“I remember when he told me after practice that he saw potential in me and that was why he was hard on me.”
“My favorite memory is when Mr. Miller stood outside in the morning and sang Christmas songs with the boys as all the people were being dropped off.”
“I liked when we would go on little trips to do things around the school during class.”
“My favorite memory is when he used to look through the history door window and then hide around the corner, and he would keep playing that game.”
“I’ll miss Mr. Miller drumming on his desk. I will miss him being the wonderful teacher he was.”
“I miss his first day of school quizzes, where he would give the whole class a quiz on basically everything about him, whether or not we knew the answers.”
“Mr. Miller was always so encouraging to me. Every day whenever he saw me, he would come up and fist bump me and say, ‘How you doing, kid?’”
“Mr. Miller would pray for me whenever I felt sad.”
“Mr. Miller helped me overcome my fear and anxiety. I used to be super scared to sit in the front of the class or talk to people, but he had me sit in the front row and made me a group leader for every project. He helped me be the person I am now.”
“Mr. Miller was indescribably kind.”
“Mr. Miller helped me get approval to play volleyball after transferring schools. He gave us his phone number to update us and work with us and pray for us through the whole process. He was my family’s first experience with what Judah stands for.”
“Mr. Miller asked, ‘Will you stand out for Christ?’”
“Mr. Miller really cared about girls’ sports. He always made an effort to support and promote the team. All female athletes at Judah are so thankful for his support.”
“Mr. Miller would slap your desk with his yardstick if you fell asleep.”
“Mr. Miller asked me if I had sung loudly with enthusiasm at church on Sunday. He said, ‘If you care about what you’re singing, you’ll sing it loud.’ That really stuck with me.”
“Mr. Miller taught hard work, commitment, and patience.”
“Mr. Miller told us multiple times to read the Bible instead of playing Pokémon. It was always Pokémon.”
“Mr. Miller was a great teacher and always greeted kids in the hallway, even when they weren’t his students.”
“I loved how much he loved his family and community. He always made his students feel like family and showed them love.”
“I loved Mr. Miller’s humor and sarcasm.”
“I loved the ornery twinkle in his eye as he laughed with me.”
“He was an amazing teacher.”
“He was a good man.”
“He was a spiritual guy. So humble. Such a servant’s heart. I remember many times working hard at something, and he would offer to help. He cared about others first.”
“He was an example of how to lead through service.”
“He was always animated and enthusiastic while teaching and kept me engaged.”
“He would go out of his way to kindly converse with strangers.”
“He was a great teacher and a backbone to our community.”
“He taught, he preached, he directed athletics, he coached, he fanned, he dadded, he husbanded, he knew Jesus, and he loved God. He had a heart for Judah, and he went nonstop and did it all. He was our humble wonderful athletic director. He fought for Judah athletics and continued to build, support, and strengthen our program, pouring into our student athletes and us coaches each and everyday. Thank you, Dirk Miller, for taking care of everyone and for playing a huge part in our lives and families.”
“Thank you for the fellowship in Jesus, brother. Can’t wait to do it again.”
—Grant Ipsen and Ava Carder, class of ’24