Joel Thomas Miller

MILLER, JOEL THOMAS, born August 22nd, 1988, in Tampa, Florida, passed away peacefully in the comfort of his own home, on Sunday, September 10, 2017. He was a member of St. Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church. Joel loved the sales world and was persistent at getting what he wanted. During his life, he owned his own business, Litmus Clothing. He currently was the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Touchdown Tutoring. He was a graduate from Wharton High School in 2007, where he played football as a Wildcat. He earned many awards such as: Most Valuable Player (MVP), on Junior Varsity, Offensive Player of the Year, Varsity, MVP, Varsity, Top Performance Award, Scholar Athletic Award, Third String All State, and Golden Helmet Award for Hillsborough County. His career rushing yards were over 2,900 plus yards. He is still Wharton’s all-time leading rusher in school history. He continued his football career at the University of South Florida, on a full athletic scholarship. He earned awards such as: Rookie of the Year, Special Teams, Big East Conference, all Academic Football Team, and selected to the National Football Foundation, Hampshire Honor Society. He graduated with his Bachelors of Art degree in Interpersonal Communication in 2011 with a 3.47 grade point average. He was a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity. Joel enjoyed watching movies and quoting lines. His favorite movie was, “The Great Gatsby,” with Leo DiCaprio. One of his favorite writers and quotes was written by Walt Whitman, “O Captain! My Captain!” He had an appreciation for famous paintings. One of his favorites was, “Two Men in a Boat,” but also admired work by Monet. He followed CNN, and could tell you anything you wanted to know about the Political World. He googled everything and was extremely inquisitive. He had a huge heart and was very giving. There was not a single person he wouldn’t help. He always gave money to the homeless standing on the corner. He loved his dog Mo, and taught him how to do tricks by using cheese. There were many midnight rides to McDonalds for chocolate chip cookies and strawberry-banana smoothies, with whip cream on top which he shared with Mo. He loved to travel and stay in hotel rooms. He slept on 22 pillows. He loved the show, “Shark Tank.” He ate boxes and boxes of Trix during the week. He was definitely a gifted athlete. As a child, he rode a two-wheel bicycle without training wheels by the age of two and a half. He rode all over the neighborhood, following his brother Jake. His hair “ALWAYS” had to be perfect and would not walk anywhere without shoes on his feet. He always took a long time to get ready when going out. His sister Jamie, always called him the “Fashion Police.” He always talked about how much he loved his car. (Toyota FRS) Joel loved his family and knew they loved him and were always there to support him in every way. His smile was contagious and lit up the room. He will be sadly missed by all who knew him. He is preceded in death by his grandparents, Rita June and James A. Thomas, Jean Marie and Paul R. Miller. Joel is survived by his parents, Paul and Kathryn Miller; brothers, John Paul Miller, Jacob Paul Miller; sister, Jamie Marie Miller; niece, Sophia Miller and nephew, Nate Miller. A memorial mass will be celebrated at St. Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church, located at 9724 Cross Creek Blvd., Tampa, 33647, on Saturday, September 23, 2017, at 10:00 a.m. The family will receive friends one hour prior to mass. A celebration of his life will immediately follow the service at Heritage Isles Country Club, located at 10630 Plantation Bay Drive., Tampa, 33647. All are welcome to attend. He is gone You can shed tears that he is gone Or you can smile because he has lived You can close your eyes and pray that he will come back Or you can open your eyes and see all that he has left Your heart can be empty because you can’t see him Or you can be full of the love that you shared You can turn your back on tomorrow and live yesterday Or you can be happy for tomorrow because of yesterday You can remember him and only that he is gone Or you can cherish his memory and let it live on You can cry and close your mind, be empty and turn your back Or you can do what he would want: smile, open your eyes, love and go on. By David Harkins: Words of comfort may be expressed for Joel’s family by clicking “Share a Memory.”