Bonnie Lynn Miller was born on June 19, 1957, in Texarkana to Billie Rae Barton Henderson and Warner Lee Henderson.
A cherished mother and gifted teacher, she committed her life to loving and building up the children and friends she knew. Bonnie graduated from Texas High School in 1975. After graduating from the University of Houston in 1979, she taught at MacGregor Elementary School in Houston ISD, Giddens Elementary School in Leander ISD, and Nash Elementary School in Texarkana ISD. During her life she was an active member of The Delta Kappa Gamma Society International, an organization celebrating women educators in which she served in numerous leadership roles including President of the local Lambda Zeta Chapter from 2006 to 2008. With the arrival of her three children: Julie in 1986, Stephen in 1988, and Laura in 1993, she transitioned from work in public schools to service in childhood education at Bible Study Fellowship and her lifelong church, Hardy Memorial.
A dedicated leader and Children’s Coordinator in BSF for 18 years, she guided decades of children to encounter biblical insights at an early age and begin to understand the promise of God’s love. She valued the close relationships she built with friends at BSF and was herself a steadfast support to the women who worked with and studied alongside her. At Hardy, she used her talents as a storyteller and preacher to teach 4th and 5th grade Sunday School, direct Junior Choir musicals every Christmas and spring, and faithfully deliver the Children’s Sermon for almost 40 years. Lovingly known as “Ms. Bonnie” to the children who depended on and learned from her, she had a special gift for communicating spiritual truths to young people and embracing them in her warmth and joyful spirit. Her children’s sermons—full of laughter and fun but also serious lessons about faith—shaped worship life at Hardy for well over three decades and left a lasting mark on the entire congregation, adults and children alike. In all she did, she lived with an abiding clarity about love’s capacity to shape, transform, and sustain. Her three children and three grandchildren loved her deeply and need her still. To them she gave a glimpse of God’s perfect love, and that example extended beyond her family to bless and inspire everyone she met.
She is survived by her husband of 44 years, Paul Miller, as well as her three children: Julie Miller, Stephen Miller, and Laura Tarwater; Stephen’s wife Sarah Miller and Laura’s husband Drew Tarwater; three grandchildren she cherished: August Paul Miller, Miles Miller Tarwater, and Clara Lynn Tarwater; and a large number of loving cousins, nieces, and nephews. The family requests that donations in her honor be sent to the memorial fund at Hardy Memorial or the children’s charity of your choice.
Bonnie will lie in state on Saturday, July 5, 2025, from 8:00 AM- 5:00 PM at Chapelwood Funeral Home. Visitation will be held on Sunday, July 6, 2025, beginning at 5:00 P.M. at Hardy Memorial Methodist Church. Funeral services will be held on Monday, July 7, 2025, at 10:00 A.M. at Hardy Memorial Methodist Church. Burial will follow at Hillcrest Memorial Park.