Charles "Ray" Ellyet Miller Sr., son of the late Henry and Elizabeth Miller was born August 24, 1944 in Memphis TN.  He had one sister, Rebecca Lee Thomas, who preceded him in death.  Ray was baptized at an early age and for many years was a member of Morningstar United Holiness Church in Massillon, OH.

Ray graduated in 1962 from Washington High School in Massillon where he excelled in basketball under the leadership of Coach Nick Vrotsos.  He was a proud Massillon Tiger.  After high school he attended West Virginia Wesleyan College in Buckhannon WV, earning a BA degree with a major in education and minor in Spanish.  While in college he excelled in both track and field and basketball.  His long jump record stood for 23 years before being broken.  He helped spearhead that basketball team to win the 1966 Conference championship while earning the Most Valuable player award of the tournament.
The summer after his college graduation, Ray accepted his first teaching and coaching position at Leetonia High School in Leetonia, OH.  He taught history and coached the 9th grade basketball team, and also was the assistant coach for football and track.  During that summer, he met the love of his life, Lexie Herring and they married on December 16, 1967.  Out of this union, they were blessed with two sons.

In 1970 Ray accepted a teaching and assistant basketball coaching position at his alma mater, Washington High School in Massillon.  There he taught Spanish and was the first teacher to set the curriculum and teach Black History at the school.
In 1974 Ray met Gary Hess and became his assistant basketball coach at their alma mater, West Virginia Wesleyan College.  This was a great collaboration that resulted in a lifelong friendship, not only for them but for their families as well.  Alongside Gary they recruited great players and built great teams that led to two West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference tournament titles, one regular season championship and one NAIA championship.   During this time, he also received his Master of Arts degree from West Virginia University in Morgantown, WV.
Ray left Wesleyan in 1979, becoming Head Men's Basketball coach at Lake Forest College in Lake Forest, IL, where he coached for eleven years.  During that period, he along with fellow coach, Norm Goodman, started a summer basketball camp (Future Stars) which he was most proud of.  During the summer of 1987, Ray took time to become a United States representative to help teach and coach basketball skills to student athletes in Guyana, South America.  This was a three-week program that was one of the most rewarding experiences of his life.
Continuing his coaching journey, Ray became an assistant basketball coach for two years at Idaho State University, a Division I school.  In 1992, he returned to West Virginia Wesleyan College as Head Men's basketball coach where he remained until his retirement.  In 2002 he coached his team to a WVIAC championship and was named WVIAC Coach of the Year.  At Wesleyan, Ray was also a college professor of Education and supervisor of student teachers.  He retired from Wesleyan in 2005 and with his wife Lexie, moved to Winston Salem, NC to be closer to his two sons.

Notable accomplishments were his induction into the Canton, OH Negro Old-timers Athletic Hall of Fame in 2003.  A decade later he was inducted into West Virginia Wesleyan College Athletic Hall of Fame as a student athlete of track and basketball.  In 2019, the 1977 basketball team of which he was the assistant coach was also  inducted into the WVWC Hall of Fame.
Ray was a mentor to his students, players and coaches.  In his spare time (no pun intended) Ray enjoyed bowling in multiple leagues, besting Lexie at scrabble, playing cards with his grandsons, working crossword puzzles and attending his grandson's sporting events.  He enjoyed traveling to family reunions in different states  every year and cruising.  In retirement he also enjoyed going to collegiate football and basketball games at Wake Forest and Winston Salem State Universities.
Ray was appreciative of where he came from and how he was raised. He loved his sons and grandchildren beyond measure and was ready to talk about them to whoever would listen.

He leaves to cherish his memory his wife of 52 years, Lexie Beatrice Miller; children, Charles Ellyet Miller, Jr. (Katina) of Huntersville NC and Andrew Scott Miller of Washington, DC; grandchildren, Isa Tyjuan Quander, Vakoya Shakur Miller, Jordan Ellyet Miller, and Cameron Austin Miller; brother-in-law, William B. Relford (husband of Janet, now deceased); sisters-in-law, Patricia A. Winters and Paula S. Jones (Susan); and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.

Private funeral services will be held  Friday, July 24, 2020 with Rev. Dr. Brian Relford, Sr. officiating. Interment will follow in Piedmont Memorial Gardens.