For the second time, Devin Louis Miller was the big winner at his local church’s fundraiser, winning $5,000 in a 50/50 raffle – and for the second time, the 84-year-old widower donated his winnings back to the church.
Aberdeen, Idaho (PRWEB) January 07, 2012
Devin Louis Miller of Aberdeen, Idaho, held the winning ticket for the Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church’s 50/50 raffle, which was held December 31 during the church’s “Casino Night” fundraiser. Upon winning the New Year’s Eve raffle, Miller – a widower and retired coal miner who’s lived in Idaho his entire life – donated the $5,000 grand prize, plus the $120 he’d won playing roulette during the “Casino Night” festivities, to OLPH.
It was the second time “Lucky Louis,” as he’s known by his friends and neighbors, shared his good fortune with the church, of which he’s been a member for over 55 years. Devin Louis Miller also won the 50/50 raffle during OLPH’s June 2011 “Spring Carnival” fundraiser, and immediately donated that $3,500 grand prize to the church.
The generous gentleman was hesitant to discuss his incredible luck or his magnanimous gestures, noting only that “I don’t need the money” and “There are other members of the church who need it a lot more than me.”
“He’s an amazing man,” noted Father Patrick Clancy, the OLPH parish priest. “This is a man living a simple life on a fixed income, but despite his modest existence continuously puts the needs of others above his own. It is a true inspiration.”
Devin Louis Miller is a lifelong Idahoan who spent 38 years working in various coal mines in Shoshone, Lemhi and Boise counties. After retiring in 1990 at the age of 63, he took up gardening and painting and concentrated on his lifelong hobby of fly-fishing. His wife, Abigail (nee Brady) Miller passed in 2006; the couple had no children and Miller has lived alone ever since.
In 1992, 15 months after retiring, Devin Louis Miller took a trip to Las Vegas with Abigail (“The only vacation I’ve ever known him to take,” noted close friend Randolph Cloud). While waiting for their flight home at McCarran International Airport, Miller dropped $1 in a slot machine and won $37,000, earning him the nickname “Lucky Louis” among his peers.
“We did keep that money,” Devin Louis Miller noted.
Randolph Cloud, who has known Devin Louis Miller for more than 40 years, said his friend lives a “very frugal” life and his “happy to just have the basics.”
“He has a small house and a few possessions,” Cloud said. “He has his pension and his Social Security checks, enough to buy whatever food and clothes he needs and pay his utility bills. He has Medicaid for when he goes to see the doctor.
“But he’s healthy,” Cloud added. “And he doesn’t eat much or drink much, and he doesn’t take trips. I think he’s had that same pickup truck since the 1980s, and he hardly ever drives that anymore. He’s happy to live quietly and not bother anyone, and to not be bothered.”
The quiet man clearly has the Midas touch when it comes to games of chance. He might not have extravagant tastes or any particular need for extra cash, but other members of the Our Lady of Perpetual Help community will benefit greatly from “Lucky Louis’” golden generosity, according to the parish leader.
“The money he has donated will help fund our childcare program, our food bank and other outreach efforts,” Father Clancy noted. “It means a lot to this community to have such a caring and munificent members looking out for us – our own guardian angel, if you will.”
As grateful as he is for Devin Louis Miller’s previous donations, the priest did add one wish.
“I only hope Lucky Louis enters the 50-50 raffle again this spring!” he said.
About Devin Louis Miller
Devin Louis Miller, 84, is a lifelong resident of Idaho. Husband of the late Abigail (nee Brady) Miller, he retired in 1990 after working nearly four decades in coal mines across Idaho. Mr. Miller enjoys painting and fishing.
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Ed Eshel
VirtuosOnline
646.770.0005
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