SUFFOLK – Walter Epps Miles, 97, a former resident of Petersburg and a resident of Suffolk for the past 13 years, died Wednesday, March 18, 2009. Born on March 31, 1911, in Petersburg, he was the son of the late Robert Maxie Miles and Katie Sawyer Miles. He was the husband of the late Ethel Matthews Miles. He was also predeceased by two sisters, Avis Alderidge and Nellie Reed Buck.
He is survived by a niece, Katherine B. Duke; two great-nieces, Katherine Paige Duke, and Susan Duke Lewis and husband, Jason Ray Lewis; a great-great-nephew, Clifton Ray Lewis, all of Suffolk; two nephews, David Fitzgerald, and wife, Gayle, of Colonial Heights, and Woody Fitzgerald, of Richmond; a great-niece, Amy Fitzgerald; two great-nephews, Matthew and Scott Fitzgerald; and a sister-in-law, Lois Long, of Colonial Heights, and several nieces, nephews and cousins in Georgia, California, Tennessee, Kentucky and the Eastern Shore.
Walter was a graduate of Petersburg High School and had been employed as a typesetter and proofreader for the Petersburg Progress-Index for 42 years. He was a faithful member of God’s Kingdom and the Second Baptist Church in Petersburg. In 1996, after a period of declining health, Walter moved to Suffolk to live with his niece, Kay Duke, who cared for him lovingly until his death in her home Wednesday. Walter was a loving family man and an especially devoted son to his parents and family and to his wife’s family as well. He looked after his family and all appreciated his sense of humor and dry wit. He was an avid reader and gardener and took great interest in current events and the news.
A graveside funeral service will be held on Saturday, March 21, 2009 at 11 a.m. in Southlawn Memorial Park in Petersburg. J.T. Morriss & Son Funeral Home, Wakefield Chapel, is serving the family. Memorial donations may be made to the Ethel Matthew Miles and Walter Epps Miles Scholarship Fund, c/o Second Baptist Church, 3355 Johnson Road, Petersburg, VA 23805. Condolences may be posted at www.jtmorriss.com.