Mrs. Kelly Miller Story, 41

Mrs. Kelly Miller Story, 41, of Hazlehurst, passed away Sept. 20 after a sudden illness.
Kelly, the daughter of Percy and Gail Miller, was born June 23, 1981, in Glynn County, but lived in Hazlehurst all her life. After she graduated from Jeff Davis High School in 1999, she went on to study education at Georgia Southern University in Statesboro, where she would prepare to teach high school mathematics and special education. Her passion for education would impact many students and families in her community and even reach throughout the state.
Throughout her 15 years in education, Kelly touched the lives of thousands of students. She was a skilled educator who made it her mission to ensure that all her students’ needs were met. Kelly’s students knew they could rely on her to not only prepare them to be successful in mathematics, but also to be successful in life.
In addition to being passionate about teaching, Kelly also had a heart for coaching. While teaching at Jeff Davis High School, she served as a boys’ basketball coach. Her love for teaching and coaching later combined when Kelly became the Special Education Secondary Grade Bands Instructional Coach at Georgia Cyber Academy, where her gifts of lighthearted encouragement, supportive coaching, and fondness and devotion to people quickly endeared her to the entire staff.
Kelly loved her daughters, Delanie and Ivey, with all her heart. She and “her girls,” as she called her daughters, enjoyed doing things together, but most of all they cherished special moments when riding in their big truck along quiet dirt roads and talking and laughing with one another. Kelly was a fur-mama, too, and adored her dogs.
Kelly was predeceased by her maternal grandmother and grandfather, Louise and Buddy Spann, and paternal grandmother and grandfather, Vernelle and Howard Miller. She is survived by her daughters, Delanie Lynn Story and Ivey Jane Story; parents, Gail and Percy Miller; brother, John Miller and his wife, Dawnya; and nephews, J.P. Miller and Chase Poppell.
Visitation will be at 11 a.m. Oct. 1 at Hillcrest Baptist Church, with a celebration of life to follow at 1 p.m. In remembrance of Kelly, the family asks everyone who attends to wear purple, her favorite color, or other brightly-colored clothing to reflect the vibrancy and happiness she brought to the lives of all who knew her.
Wainright-Parlor Funeral Home is in charge.