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Jim and Phyllis Miller
There is an old saying that "the Lord works in mysterious ways". That saying might be quite applicable to a chance meeting that occurred in a title company in Granite Bay two years ago. Lori Welch (who is the daughter of Pastor Clyde and Gerrie Mills) was working there and initiated a casual conversation with a real estate broker by the name of Phyllis Miller. Phyllis mentioned that she and her husband Jim were experienced music directors and that they enjoyed working with seniors. Lori responded, "What a coincidence! My folks have a church in Lincoln Hills and they are looking for a music director". As a result of that "God-arranged conversation between Lori and Phyllis, we at Valley View Church enjoy some great music each Sunday morning. Jim Miller was born in Shreveport, Louisiana. When he was a child his parents moved to Bakersfield, California. Jim's high school years were spent in Rohnerville, a small northern California town, where he attended Fortuna High School. Jim's parents had a strong work ethic and Jim was not allowed to spend his time playing sports or engaging in other recreational activities, so while he was in high school he worked part time at the local Safeway store. Upon graduation he continued with Safeway and at the age of 21 was the youngest produce manager of the chain in the northern California area. In 1954, at age 18, Jim was married and became the father of four (Bob, Michael, Greg, and Nanette). Jim, being a devout Christian, was active in church activities with his growing family. Phyllis Nix was born in DeQueen, Arkansas while her parents were there on a visit. When she was one year old her family moved from their 80 acre ranch in Holly Creek, Oklahoma to Placerville, CA. Phyllis' family was devout Christians and at a very early age Phyllis was introduced to church "and to church music". She sang her first solo in church at the age of 3 ½ years, and accepted the Lord as her personal savior when she was five. Her family was very supportive concerning her interest in music. Unfortunately, when Phyllis was seven years old, her classmates began teasing her about being overweight. The teasing continued throughout the grammar school years and her inability to control her weight led to many years of problems associated with low self-esteem. Phyllis enrolled in Roseville High School but there the verbal abuse was more than she could handle. As a result, her parents made a financial sacrifice and Phyllis soon enrolled in a co-ed Bible High School in Oregon. Phyllis had learned to play the piano by ear at the age of twelve and, while at the school, she enjoyed spending time developing her talents as both a musician and a singer. By the time that she was eighteen she had started her own 40 voice choir and even produced a radio broadcast for her "Faith Ambassadors". Another ministry as a pianist with the Ron Gardner Singers led her to being billed in concerts with many renowned Gospel groups, including the Oakridge Boys. (Not bad for a girl who learned to play by ear). In 1970 Phyllis graduated from Beauty College and opened her own hair salon in Eureka, California. With the help of a local doctor Phyllis lost 100 pounds because she "wanted to find the right man". Meanwhile, Jim and his wife had divorced and he was living and working in Eureka. One day they met in a local department store and Phyllis noted that "Jim definitely needed a modern hair style". She invited him to visit her shop and he invited her to dinner------ and that's how romances are born. On March 31, 1973 Jim and Phyllis were married at the Grace Baptist Church in Eureka. As a result of their interest in ministering for the Lord, they helped produce a weekly television program titled "People in Action" during their first year of marriage. In 1974 the Miller's moved to Sacramento and in 1975 their son Baron was born. Jim had taken a position with the Prairie Markets chain of grocery stores. In 1979 he left to take a position with Raley's Super Stores. He was soon promoted to the main office where he played a key role in the personnel department in administering the 60+ stores in the chain. He spent twenty years with the organization before retiring from the grocery industry in 1999. Phyllis continued her personal battle with weight until she reached over 300 pounds. In 1978 she became a candidate for some still unproven surgery for obesity, and barely survived the process. Eventually the surgery did prove successful and it definitely changed her life. At the age of 35 she started a business called "Be My Guest Catering" where she cooked for up to 800 people at a given event. She also wrote a book concerning her struggle with obesity and the book was released in Dallas in 1988 at the International Booksellers Convention. This gave her the opportunity to appear on many well known talk shows in New York and around the country. 
In 1991 Phyllis decided to make yet another career move. She received her college degree, obtained her real estate license and eventually ended up with her own broker's business. The Miller family has lived in the same home in Citrus Heights for 28 years, where they raised their son Baron. Today Baron and his wife Christy live in Newberry Park (southern California near Thousand Oaks) with their children (Audrey, 7, Stanley, 5, and Francine, 3) providing Jim and Phyllis with a good reason to make periodic visits to southern California. When the Miller's are not working on their weekly musical arrangements they like to spend time attending a movie, going for a walk, or taking a ride in the country. Their favorite getaway is to head off somewhere for a relaxing overnight visit to a "bed and breakfast". Jim also enjoys spending time working in the yard, or time reading his bible. Phyllis is still active in Phyllis Ann Miller Real Estate Brokerage. Good music represents an important element in the overall quality of a church service. Jim and Phyllis spend many hours each week in an effort to make each Sunday service unique and pleasurable. They demonstrate their faith in God in their daily lives and they are a great addition to the Valley View Church family. Jim Datzman |