 Timeline |
|
|
|
| |
| 1981 |
|
|
|
 |
Gabriel John Miller was born in Orlando, Florida on April 22, 1981.
We named him Gabriel, which means Messenger of God... People say, Gabriel Blow Your Horn... well he did... But he was the cutest little baby...
Gabey would stare you down, and look deep into your soul, right from the start... He really seemed to try to figure the world out, even as an infant...
|
|
| |
| Two Days Old... |
|
|
|
|
Gabriel was only two days old, laying in the little bassinet in the hospital, next to my bed... I leaned over and took a picture of him, and he lifted his head... which is something that newborn babies don't alway do... and he STUCK HIS TONGUE OUT at me....  I thought to myself... whoa... this one's got personality... or something...  |
|
| |
| Two Weeks Old |
|
|
|
|
At two weeks, Gabriel was ready to Play Rough...  He was so cute... His Great-Grandma wanted to put this picture up in the Green Bay Packers locker room to give them some inspiration.... |
|
| |
| Mother and Son |
|
|
|
|
True Love... a mother and her baby.... We adore you guys, before you are even born... |
|
| |
| First Birthday |
|
|
|
|
Gabriel, now those who knew him probably won't believe this, but Gabriel talked before he walked... talked tons...  He talked a LOT... His first sentence was, "Mama, I want more cheese." He was, well, I can't remember how old he was, but he was a talker from the word get-go... |
|
| |
| Two Years Old |
|
|
|
|
Gabriel always liked to look good... shower, bath, washtub, or whatever it took to make him squeaky clean...  |
|
| |
| Two and a Half Years Old |
|
|
|
|
Gabriel got his first playground boo-boo when the swing hit him in the face... and the swing set was an old one I had purchased second hand, and had some rough plastic... poor Gabey Poo..... |
|
| |
| Three Years Old |
|
|
|
|
Gabey had his third birthday party... and already was hitting on the ladies....  |
|
| |
| Gabriel and Timmy and Clint |
|
|
|
|
Gabriel loved all of his cousins... but he and Timmy were really close... they were one day less than a year apart in age... Timmy, on the left in this picture, is in Heaven too... Clint, on the right, said that he bets that Gabriel and Timmy are up to some monkey business up there... I'll bet he's right.... |
|
| |
| Three and a Half |
|
|
|
|
Now This is LIFE.... having a Baby Brother to Love...
I had taken a toy robot to the hospital, for the new baby Ben to give to Gabriel... so Gabriel would be happy and not upset or jealous... but I don't think the gift was needed... Gabriel ADORED his Baby Brother...  |
|
| |
| Cabbage Patch Doll |
|
|
|
|
I still have Eric... Gabriel's cabbage patch doll that his Grandma Miller gave him... Gabriel loved him, but loved his baby brother more... |
|
| |
| Gabriel's "little cheekie boy" |
|
|
|
|
Gabriel called Benjy, "my little cheekie boy"... and Benjy's first sentence... a few years later... was, "I your wittle cheekie boy"
|
|
| |
| Gabey and Benjy-Boo |
|
|
|
|
Gabriel was born in Florida, then we moved to South Carolina and lived in a camper at PTL for a while... Then in a house in Fort Mill, SC... we moved to Fitzgerald, GA and lived there when Ben was born... then back to Rock Hill, SC as their Dad took a job as a bass player with a Christian band called, Kingdom... Later to Florida, then Tennessee, Ohio, and back to Tennessee... Gabriel lived in Phoenix for a short while as well... |
|
| |
| Baby Rattles |
|
|
|
|
There were no baby rattles for the Miller Boys... it was drum sticks and toy guitars... Gabriel loved going to practise with his Dad... and he mimicked everything the guitar player, Russell Workman, did... move by move... He also liked guitarist, Billy Caroll... |
|
| |
| Gabey loved the snow! |
|
|
|
|
We visited, and even lived, in Wisconsin for a little while... Gabriel loved the snow... |
|
| |
| Air Guitar Gabey |
|
|
|
|
We didnt' have a lot of money when the boys were little... so one year, they got Air Guitars for Christmas... but Gabriel proved that rock n roll is in the heart... not in the sound that comes out.... |
|
| |
| Brotherly Love.... |
|
|
|
|
I was really blessed by the love my sons had for each other... oh, it wasn't ALWAYS peachy... but most of the time they were true buddies... THAT blesses a mother's heart... |
|
| |
| Bugle Boy |
|
|
|
|
Gabe's shirt says, Gabriel the original Bugle Boy...
And he was... we called him the "mouth of the south"... :-)
For a while he was into this "perpetual talking" thing... where he could talk non-stop for an hour... I know his mind must have been going a mile a minute in order to be able to talk non-stop... it was really hilarious and entertaining... but it just shows how his mind was just shooting things at him non-stop... That was Gabriel... |
|
| |
| Did I say Gabey liked the SNOW....? |
|
|
|
|
Well, Gabey liked the snow... |
|
| |
| School Pictures |
|
|
|
|
With a Dad who was a musician... we didn't always have the cash to buy the school pictures... so we headed to KMart and got them both in one picture...
Gabriel went to Kindergarten in Rock Hill, SC at Kiddie Kollege... then First Grade at Ebenezer Elementary, also in Rock Hill... that's where he threw up on the first day of school... they called me to pick him up... I asked him if he made it to the bathroom to throw up and he said no, he did it in the hall, in line for the lunchroom... I said, "why didn't you tell your teacher that you had to throw up?" He said, "I did... but she didn't believe me..." |
|
| |
| Gabriel's schools... |
|
|
|
|
In second grade, Gabriel went to Leslie Elementary in Catawba, SC... then Blue Ridge Elementary in DeLand, Florida for the third grade... Orange City Elementary, in FL, for third and fourth grade, then Enterprise Elem. for fifth... and Northwest Middle School in Knoxville for part of the sixth grade, and then Powel Middle School for the second half... Salem Middle School in Salem, OH for seventh grade... and then Powell Middle again in eighth.... Sevier County High School for a few years, and then finished on a High School Correspondence Course from Scranton, PA... while we lived in Kodak, TN... Good Grief !!!! |
|
| |
| Learning to Swim |
|
|
|
|
Gabriel was seven and Benjy four when we moved to Florida... we moved into an apartment complex, in January, that had a pool... The boys wanted to learn to swim... I said, that water is TOO COLD for me... but if you promise to stay by the edge, you can get in... I didn't think they would do it... but I tell the truth, by February they were swimming like little fish in that COLD water... and they LOVED going to the beach... we would go to New Smyrna or Daytona Beach in the afternoons, on my days off, and they loved it... |
|
| |
| Gabriel's Getups... |
|
|
|
|
Gabriel was ALWAYS, as far back as when he could start dressing himself... in some crazy getup... something that he thought was cool... or like something that he admired... I would ride my bike when he was only three, and he had cowboy boots on, a football helmet, a rockstar shirt, and a superman cape blowing in the breeze... This getup here was for our Newtune Missions ministry... He was a side man... doing all kinds of stunts.... |
|
| |
| Gabriel played the Trombone... |
|
|
|
|
He was really good... he was playing along with our Family band, the NewTune Missions, after only a couple of months of beginning band... He had natural harmony... and a natural case of stage charisma... |
|
| |
| Did I say he had stage Charisma |
|
|
|
|
This was at the World's Fair Park,
with the NewTune Missions.... Ben was in the background on drums... Gabey on Trombone... Katie on the six string... |
|
| |
| Did I say that Gabriel liked to Dance? |
|
|
|
|
Gabriel has always liked to Dance... |
|
| |
| Did I mention that Gabriel was silly.... |
|
|
|
|
He thought he was a muscle man... but he was SILLY.... |
|
| |
| First Band |
|
|
|
|
This was "Ten Foot Cross"... The first Band that Gabriel and Ben started... with Steve and John Gaskell... Ben was on drums, Gabe on guitar... :-) |
|
| |
| Endeavour |
|
|
|
|
This one of their first gigs... at the Electric Ballroom...
Gabriel surprised me by stage diving off of the stage, backwards, while playing his guitar... the young people held him up and then pushed him back up... and he never missed a note... |
|
| |
| 1997 Battle of the Bands |
|
|
|
|
On the timeline you could add that 1997 Minute 61 wins the battle of the bands
and changes my perspective on music and gabe forever became a musical influence
on mine and many other lives!! He was so talented and original!! He really has
made me the musician that i am today and i continue to write and tour in his
honor!!!! My band Straight line stitch is recording in January and gabe will be
first on my thank yous!!!!
Patrick Haynes
|
|
| |
| Family |
|
|
|
|
We used to have some good times at Red Lobster... where this picture was taken... Gabe, his Mom, his Step-dad John, and Ben... these were good times for Katie (Gabe's Mom).... |
|
| |
| Gabriel Loves Kids! |
|
|
|
|
This is Oz (Gigi's son), Gabe, and Sam (Oz's best buddy)... Gabriel adored Oz (and Sam)... and I think Oz was crazy about Gabriel as well... Gigi said that she taught Gabe how to change diapers on these guys... (I wish I could have seen that!) Gigi said that one day she caught Oz writing on his arms with his markers... so she took the markers away, (temporarily)... to which Oz asked, "Do you think Gabe's mom took his markers away from him for writing on his arms?"
I truly appreciate Gigi for giving me this picture... Gabriel talked about she and Oz a lot, they were special friends... And it truly blesses my heart to have this pic... |
|
| |
| a Brief time in the Army |
|
|
|
|
This picture was kinda scarey....
But he was writing his Army unit mottos... |
|
| |
| I love my Gabriel |
|
|
|
|
Gabriel on leave... |
|
| |
| Gabriel was tender |
|
|
|
|
Gabriel was very tender and loving.... (when he wasn't teasing and being silly... :-) |
|
| |
| Even Bunnies.... |
|
|
|
|
He was even sweet to my little bunny, Gandalf...
This was the first day we got Gandalf, Ben bought him for me for Christmas, and Gabriel said, "oh, my little brother gets the best present for Mom at Christmas, how can I top that?" Well, this picture was a special Christmas present... just watching the tender side of Gabe... |
|
| |
| Gabey Loves Lobster Too |
|
|
|
|
Gabey loves Lobster too.... to EAT! |
|
| |
| Granny Sue |
|
|
|
|
Gabriel loved his Granny... he mentioned to Aunt Barb, that he was closest, in the extended family, to Granny... One time when he was about 8 years old, we were walking with the family, and all of the kids were yelling, "watch this Granny" "look at me, Granny" and Gabriel said, "Granny, who is your favorite movie star?" I remember the shocked look on her face, she was so surprised that one of the grand-kids wanted to know something about HER... and he really did... |
|
| |
| Gabriel Loved to make music the most... |
|
|
|
|
He, I'm told, was a "melody writing machine"... his mind never stopped... songs and melodies just came, came, came... I've wondered if he didn't use drugs to try to get some quiet in his mind... There are other ways to get quiet... I wish he had found one of the other ways... |
|
| |
| Best Friend |
|
|
|
|
Ben was definitely Gabe's best friend... He adored and admired his little brother... |
|
| |
| Katie's two boys... |
|
|
|
|
This is one happy and proud mother shown here... |
|
| |
| Gabe's Broken Tooth |
|
|
|
|
This is why you should NOT drink and drive...
And you think his mouth looks bad, you should have seen the house he hit... and his car....
Poor Gabey...
Actually he was kinda proud of his "appalachian American" Look... |
|
| |
| Gabriel's Funeral |
|
|
|
|
This was the worst day of my life... I wanted to crawl into a hole and stay there, yet I wanted to minister to all of the broken hearted and confused young people... there were about 350 people at Gabey's funeral, and only about 50 of them were over the age 30... |
|
| |
| The Cemetery |
|
|
|
|
The trip to the cemetery was awful too... but at least I knew I wasn't burying my son, I was just burying his body... his earth suit... oh, it was a beautiful body... one that I had loved so much for so long... but my Gabriel was already in a better place... I truly believe that... |
|
| |
| 2006 |
|
|
|
|
Gabriel moved to Heaven on August 14, 2006 at the age of 25...
I know he's in a better place... and no longer in pain or torment... but I just miss him so very much... he was my oldest son, and my friend.... Katie (Mom)
I also want to mention that the center part of Gabe's grave marker, or "tombstone" as he would probably refer to it, was designed by Tattoo artist, Andrew Cobb... Its at New Gray Cemetery on Western Ave... turn in, and go straight on the road, and its in the section past the three flag poles on the right, (past the three little roads to the right)... |
|
| |
| One Year Later |
|
|
|
|
Some of us met up at the cemetery and released balloons... You can read about it in the Tributes and Condolences section... one balloon was kinda weird.... :-) |
|
| |
| Two Years Later |
|
|
|
|
We met up again... for another balloon release... on August 14, 2008... We miss Gabriel more than ever... This year the balloons danced straight up... as Aunt Barb said, like they knew where they were going, and they were headed straight there... :-) |
|
| |
| One of Ben's Gabe Memorial Tattoos |
|
|
|
|
Here is one of Ben's "Gabe Memorial" tattoos... |
|
| |
| Ben's Other Memorial Tattoo |
|
|
|
|
Ben's "Gabriel" tattoo |
|
| |
| Shaun Wagner's Memorial Tattoo |
|
|
|
|
This is a cute memorial tattoo that Shaun Wagner got...
|
|
| |
| More of Shauns Tattoo |
|
|
|
|
Around the arm, another part of Shaun's Tattoo |
|
| |
| Joy's Memorial Tattoo |
|
|
|
|
Joy's tattoo is the Roman Numberals for 8-14, which is the day Gabriel moved to Heaven... I've heard that several people have gotten memorial tattoos, if you'll email a pic of it to me, Katie, at akatiehelms@hotmail.com, I will put it on this website... I'm still trying to get up the nerve to get mine...  |
|
| |
| Epcot Memorial |
|
|
|
|
I had a TINY memorial put into the Wall of Life, at Epcot in Orlando... I haven't seen it, but my friend, Debra, did... and Joy did... here's a picture... If you go to Epcot... when you get to the wall of life section, look for him... I think there's a desk where you can find out where each person is... |
|
| |
| If you have any material to add to this section, please contact the
website manager.
If you are the website manager, you can enter edit mode to change the timeline
by clicking here. |
| Bring the memories home by publishing your online memorial as a genuine hardcover keepsake |
Add to favorites 
