Thomas M. "Tom" Miller, 65 of Effingham, passed away at 11:58 p.m. Sunday, November 6, 2016 at his home surrounded by his loving family.

A time of visitation will be held from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Thursday, November 10, 2016 at Bauer Funeral Home in Effingham. Memorial donations may be made to the donor's choice and will be accepted at the funeral home.

Tom was born December 25, 1950 in Effingham, the son of Enoch Jr. and Beulah (Brady) Miller. He enlisted in the United States Navy and served our country for four years. On August 1, 1981, Tom married Karen L. Walker and they were blessed with five children and ten grandchildren. Tom worked as a vocational specialist with Community Support Systems in Teutopolis.

Tom's long and valiant battle with cancer is now over. He was one of those guys who was bigger than life. For a guy who treasured privacy and independence, he had a huge circle of friends who loved and admired him.  Tom was an honest man and always had the courage to let others know where he stood.  He loved and was devoted to his family.  He had an amazing capacity for understanding "how things work" and was incredibly creative in being able to solve problems with mechanical things, technological challenges, construction projects--you name it, he would figure it out.  He was well known and highly regarded as a first class musician and he played guitar because he loved to play-not because he looked for acclaim. He was an integral part of local bands such as Sagebrush, Mustang Sally, Southtown, Where's Dink, Last Call and Burnt Toast and often sat in with Miscellaneous Band, sometimes called Jubilee Band. He brought joy and blessings to many lives.

Tom is survived by his wife, Karen of Effingham; son, Brandon of Effingham; daughters, Kristi (Ted) Sidenstricker of South Daytona, FL, Melissa (Kevin) Brophy of Summerville, SC, Angela (Shawn) Krantz of Summerville, SC and Nicole Miller of Effingham; father, E.V. Miller, Jr. of Effingham; brother, Jim (Karen) Miller of Windsor; sisters, Dee (Steve) Allen of Newman; Cheri (Steve) Hayes of East Moline and Jan (Bill) Granse of Urbana; grandchildren, Evie, Savannah, Cory, Jonathan, Emma, Madison, Skyler, Haylie, Brianna and Zoey. Tom was preceded in death by his mother, Beulah.

Tom's family acknowledges its appreciation for all of the support offered by the greater Effingham community, and is especially grateful for Tom's celebration of life organized by Laurie Foreman, Dennis Ricketts and Randy Meyer. A huge thank you goes to the musicians, stage hands, sound technicians and Effingham Performance Center staff, donors of auction items and the nearly 800 generous and caring souls who so selflessly contributed to the family's financial health and well-being during this trying time.  The family also sends its love to those other individuals who have contributed to the cause, and a special thank you to the congregation of the Wesley Chapel Church of Newman.