Obituary for John Gilpin Miller - East Idaho News
header image
Obituary

John Gilpin Miller

February 17th, 1961 - March 3rd, 2026

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready ...








John Gilpin Miller passed away in his Idaho Falls home on Tuesday, March 3, 2026. He was 65 years old.

Elizabeth “Betty” Miller gave birth to John on February 17, 1961, in Salmon, Idaho; his father, also named John Miller, passed away in an accident prior to John’s birth. John attended Salmon High School and Skyline High School in Idaho Falls.

John worked multiple jobs during his life. He was a radio disk jockey for two Southern Idaho music stations, then a newspaper editor for the Blackfoot Morning News in the late 1980s and early 1990s. After earning an associate’s degree in computer programming from Idaho State University, John worked as a computer programmer in Salt Lake City from 1995 to 2014. After his programming career, he was a bus driver until he returned to editing the Morning News in 2018. He then edited the Bingham County Chronicle, and finally the Post Register.

He married the love of his life, Amy Kathleen Wareing, on March 17, 1990. Together they raised three children: Curtis, Grant, and Alicia. John and Amy showed their love to their children by teaching them to always be kind to others. They passed their lessons down to their grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and to anyone who knew them.

John and Amy were members of the Seventh Day Adventist church; he was baptized into the church in 1998 and remained a committed member, including serving as a head deacon for the Wasatch Hills church in Salt Lake City. He not only supported church operations but also the needs of the community. He volunteered his time to help those in need, such as participating in church events to provide goods to the homeless.

John enjoyed writing. He self-published an autobiographical novel, Simple Man, in which he explored how never knowing his father affected his life. He ran a blog, A View From the Middle (Class), when he was in-between programming jobs.

Music and football were his other passions. He loved classic rock and jazz fusion. His daughter Alicia loved to ask him, “What song is this? Who made it?” for whatever song was playing in the room; he got nearly every song right. And every Sunday, John was sitting on the couch watching whatever football game was on, rooting for the Colts to win when they played.

John is survived by: his wife, Amy, of nearly 36 years; his children Curtis, Grant, and Alicia Miller; his two grandchildren, Ayven and Brighton Miller; and his sister, Lynda “Kay” Powers. He is preceded in death by his parents John and Betty Miller and his brother Curtis.

Funeral services will be held at 2:00 p.m. Monday, March 9, 2026 at the Hawker Funeral Home, 132 S. Shilling Avenue in Blackfoot. The family will meet with friends from 6-8:00 p.m. Sunday, March 8, 2026 at the funeral home and again for one hour prior to the service.

In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate donations to help with funeral expenses.

More Obituaries