Hundreds of people gathered Sunday evening in the Denton County community of Argyle for a prayer vigil for the Miller family.
Michael Miller, Leann Miller and their two children, 12-year-old Zoey Miller and 7-year-old Miles Miller, were killed Friday night in New Mexico in a crash along U.S. Highway 550 south of Bloomfield, near Durango, Colorado.
New Mexico State Police said 24-year-old Brian Lee drifted across the centerline and his truck slammed into the Miller’s van. The family of four was headed home from a family vacation.
Leann’s brother, Craig Lieber, remembered the moment he learned of his sister’s death.
“My wife got the phone call and then she came and woke me up and her words were, and this will be the one thing that will be caught in my mind, 'Leann was in a car accident, Leann is gone,'" said Lieber. "And then she said, 'They’re all gone.' And then I said, 'What does that mean'?"
Lieber was shocked to find no free parking spots at the Argyle United Methodist Church for Sunday's prayer vigil.
“When I came in it was more than just a parking place, it was a place in it seems so many people’s hearts were these four individuals,” Lieber said.
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Lieber told us he regretted the time he didn’t spend with his family and said it’s friends of the family in Argyle that are suffering a tremendous loss.
“The loss of Miles and Zoey, the children in there they spent — they even came up to me and said I’m sorry for your loss — but they spent 180 school days with them for how many years?” Lieber said. “And in a sad way they’ve spent more time with Zoey and Miles than I have.”
“I missed so many stories about them, but I love hearing that — I love hearing what other people said because I missed out on that,” Lieber said.
There were plenty of tears and hugs from friends of Zoey and Miles as well as Mike and Leann, but friends like Laura Thompson said that while this is a huge loss, she felt uplifted at Sunday’s prayer vigil.
“I can be lifted knowing they are in a better place and knowing that we will see them once again when this is all said and done, but we need to be here now for Cory, for Macey — the other two that are left behind and their many family members here because this is something we’re all going to pull together and we’re going to celebrate this life and we’re going to move forward.”
The Miller’s are survived by Leann’s son, Cory Dixon, and Mike’s daughter, Macy Miller, and other family members.
Counseling will be available Monday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Hilltop Elementary in Argyle for friends of Zoey and Miles.
Funeral arrangements for the family have not yet been released.
