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Lonnie Miller, founder of Mission of Hope addiction ministry, dies at age 78
MOBILE, Alabama -- Lonnie Lee Miller, founder and executive director of the Mission of Hope and Haven of Hope drug and alcohol treatment ministries, died Saturday in Mobile. He was 78.
Miller was born in 1932 in Mart, Texas, a small town east of Waco. He attended the University of Texas before undertaking a career in Houston with the Hotpoint division of General Electric.
In 1971 Miller came to Mobile and founded Mission of Hope. The mission’s complex is located on Grand Bay Wilmer Road, just north of Airport Boulevard near the Alabama-Mississippi line.
Cheryl "Peppi" Garrett of Mobile, one of Miller’s 3 children, said the in-resident Christian treatment program aided drug addicts and alcoholics "in the thousands" over the next 40 years.
Mission of Hope is for men and Haven of Hope is for women, according to the mission’s Web site.
One of the mission’s former clients, Danny Budd, donated a kidney to Miller in August 2003, Garrett said. Budd currently works on the mission staff, she said.
Miller’s recovery from recent medical troubles became the subject of an Easter Sunday article in the Press-Register.
According to the article, Miller was hospitalized in November after a cut on his leg became infected, and blood poisoning began to spread. While in the hospital, his kidney failed, and he went into cardiac arrest Dec. 4.
Miller was revived but soon after had a heart attack. His kidney began to function on Christmas Eve, and he came home in February.
Miller is survived by his wife, Carol; a son, Guy Miller of Mobile; another daughter, Brenda Finlay of Mobile; a sister, Otha Mae "Tia" Fugett; 6 grandchildren; and 5 great-grandchildren.
A memorial service will take place Tuesday at 6 p.m. at Crawford Baptist Church on Sun Valley Drive in Mobile. Visitation will follow in the church’s Christian Life Center.