James Albert “Stiffy” Miles, Sr., 84, of Artemus, KY, passed away peacefully at his home on October 29, 2024 surrounded by his family. Born on July 28, 1940, in Harlan, KY, he was the son of the late John Wesley Miles and Martha Orick Miles Murphy.
James was a follower of Christ and a member of East Barbourville Baptist Church.
James was blessed with a wonderful family heritage. He was preceded in death by his father, John Wesley Miles, Step-Father, John Murphy, Mother, Martha Orick Miles Murphy, Brother, Harold Dean Miles, Brother Randall Murphy, Brother, Lee Gilbert Murphy and wife Patricia, Sister, Ora Mae Howard White and husband Ken, Brother-in-Law, David B Howard, Nephew, David Howard, and Niece, Angela Murphy.
He leaves behind his wife, best-friend, co-pilot, and travel partner for over 60 years, Freeda, his Son and business partner Jim and wife Laura, of Flat Lick, granddaughter Sarah-James and husband Garrett and great-granddaughter Laurel Thomas of Nicholasville; Daughter Lisa Ann, granddaughter Sadie and husband Ryan and great-grandson, Beau Jackson of Richmond; Daughter Heather and husband John of Corbin, grandson, John Daniel “JD” McVey, IV and wife Meghan and great-granddaughter Amelia Claire, grandson and partner-in-crime, Isaac Miles, all of Barbourville and granddaughter, MaryAlice Rose of Corbin.
He also leaves behind his sister: Teresa Ann Carnes and husband Matthew, of Artemus and their children Michael and wife Cindy and Jeff and wife Alania of Barbourville, Sister-in-Law, Reva Ann Murphy of Bimble, and son Brian Steven and wife Sheila of Cincinnati Ohio, and Doris Miles and sons, Andy Miles and wife Tiffany of Lisle, Illinois, and Johnny Miles of Reston, Virginia.
James was an avid businessman. He started working at the young age of 8 hoeing and weeding his neighbors’ gardens and then at the age of 12, he went to work at Joe Willis’ Grocery Store where he worked through high school helping to support his family. Although it would have been acceptable for James to quit school to fully help in supporting his mother and siblings, James found great value in the importance of an education and receiving his high school diploma. He was an avid reader, a history enthusiast, and benefited from weekly visits to the Knox County Library Bookmobile.
After James received his high school diploma, he continued working for Mr. Willis at his grocery store. One afternoon, Mr. Willis asked him to run an errand downtown Barbourville. While running that errand, he saw a flier for the US ARMY Draft. He said he thought to himself, “That would be fun”, so he walked up the stairs above the old Union National Bank and signed up to go to the ARMY. He went straight home, told his Mother and then told Mr. Willis he wouldn’t be back to work.
James was a proud member of the Republican Party. He served 2 years in the United States Army in El Paso, Texas where he was a Military Policeman. He was encouraged by his commanding officers to remain in a military career, but he declined the opportunity. When asked his reasons, he simply said, “I want to go home to Artemus.”
After returning home, James and several childhood friends traveled to work in the steel mills of Gary, Indiana, traveling back to Artemus on the weekends. On one of these visits in 1961, he reconnected with a childhood friend, Freeda Ann Jackson, who was attending Union College. They began dating, and after a three-year courtship, married on March 21, 1964.
Together they remained in Indiana for six years, but James always had a desire to be “at home in Artemus” to raise his children around their families. In 1970, they moved home and with over 60 years of marriage, they built a rich and adventurous life together, raising three children: Jim, Lisa, and Heather. James took immense pride in his children’s accomplishments, big or small, and was dedicated to supporting their successes with wisdom, advice, and opportunities.
He was equally proud of his five grandchildren: Sarah-James, Sadie Ann, JD, Isaac Miles and MaryAlice Rose. Actively involved in their lives, he was a constant source of support and encouragement, attending their school and life events. Most recently, James found his greatest joy in his three great-grandchildren, Beau Jackson, Laurel Thomas, and Amelia Claire. Family meant everything to him, and he was happiest when he knew everyone was home, safe and sound by dark thirty.
At the age of 39, James surrendered his life to Jesus. In his living room, his brother Randall and friend H.M. Mills shared the Gospel, and he repented of his sins, placing his faith in Jesus Christ. Randall and H.M. continued to disciple him, nurturing his growing faith. As a member of Artemus First Baptist Church, James served in the brotherhood ministry and in visitation, understanding the profound impact that discipleship and outreach had on his own journey with the Lord.
Later, James became involved in the coal mining industry but found his true calling when he and his son Jim opened Flat Lick Food Mart in 1986. He and Jim worked alongside each other for over 30 years until James’ retirement in 2012. During his time as a store owner, he employed several family members including his sister Teresa, his daughters Lisa and Heather (whom he often “fired” and rehired) and his niece Lorri. When James and Jim opened Parkway BP Truck Stop, Freeda, Laura, Sarah, Sadie, JD and Isaac joined working in the family business. His invaluable work ethic and drive were always anchored in being a life-long learner.
Though James was a dedicated worker, he always made time for his favorite pastimes: fishing and traveling. Freeda and he managed to visit 49 out of the 50 states—the only one they missed was Hawaii, as James preferred to avoid planes and boats. His favorite travel memory was when he and Freeda drove the Alaska Highway in 1992.
After retiring, he and Freeda fulfilled another dream by purchasing a home in Florida, complete with a lake full of bass right in their backyard. They soon embraced the “Snowbird” lifestyle, making the trip south to Frostproof, Florida, every year after the Daniel Boone Festival. There, in Hickory Lake Estates, they built lasting friendships that felt like family. It was also at Hickory Lake that James caught his biggest bass yet: a 10-pound, 6-ounce largemouth.
James had a knack for telling jokes and was a passionate prankster, with April Fools’ Day being his favorite holiday. He and his daughter Heather enjoyed keeping score on pranking one another. He would often remind her, “Heather, you can’t trick a tricker.” Among his most memorable pranks were the “fake thumb” trick and his impressive fake Jeopardy knowledge; he would watch Jeopardy at 5 PM and then answer all the questions correctly during the 7 PM episode. He loved pranking Freeda by hiding fake snakes around the house until one night when Freeda retaliated by placing a fake snake under the covers in his bed. After that, the hidden snakes vanished.
He had a passion for collecting antique cars and loved attending and participating in local car shows, sharing this interest with his son Jim and grandsons, JD and Isaac.
He loved watching TV, including NASCAR races, Gold Rush, Troy Landry on Swamp People, Shark Tank, and Sean Hannity from Fox News. However, while he enjoyed these shows, he equally despised commercials. He was also a passionate fan of UK sports. He and his daughter Lisa frequently watched UK basketball and football games together. When they couldn’t watch together in person, they would always discuss which channel the games were on and share updates about the score over the phone.
For much of his adult life, James drifted away from his close relationship with the Lord, which led to many hardships for him and his family. When he first accepted Christ, he never prayed without praying, “Lord, make me humble so I can serve you better.”
In 2021, the Lord answered his prayer, and humbled him to the point of death with the Coronavirus. After a difficult recovery, James found great hope and comfort in the verses James 5:14-15. Even though his memory failed him the Holy Spirit brought these verses to his memory providing hope and encouragement. James claimed victory through God’s Word.
The once hard, exterior shell he presented for the majority of his life was then softened by the Holy Spirit. James repented and rededicated his life back to the Lord. He has spent the last three years restoring relationships, worshiping, and serving Jesus.
Since his passing, our family has heard of numerous anonymous acts of service James did for individuals, families and organizations within our community. Serving others has always been a priority. He was a member of Eagles’ Club of East Gary, Indiana, a Kentucky Colonel, a member of the Bell 691 Masonic Lodge, a member of the Mountain 187 Masonic Lodge, an Oleika Shriner, a member of the Knox County Bass Club, Charter Board Member Artemus Volunteer Fire Department, Former Board Member of East Knox Water District, Charter Member of The Harlan County Shrine Club and Member of the Barbourville Shrine Club. In the early 80’s, he was a member and Director of the Artemus Baptist Church Brotherhood and James served as the President of the Artemus High School Alumni Association Reunion for 12 years.
If his family could choose a verse that best represents James’ life, it would be 2 Chronicles 7:14, “If My people, which are called by My name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”
James believed that God’s grace is greater than our past. He found hope in the forgiving and saving grace of Jesus Christ.
He will be deeply missed by his family, but they are so thankful for the legacy and memories he has left behind. There is a little piece of “James A” in all of them and for that, they are grateful.
The Miles Family will receive friends at Knox Funeral Home, Saturday, November 2 from 6-9 P.M. with a MASONIC service at 8:00 P.M. On Sunday, November 3, the family will receive friends and family from 10:00 A.M. until the funeral hour of 2:00 P.M. Reverends Josh Smith and David Barnard will officiate along with James’ two grandsons, JD and Isaac McVey. Musical tributes will be performed by Lisa Miles, Heather Miles McVey and David Barnard. The family of Mr. Miles will serve as casket bearers: Jim and Laura Miles, Lisa Miles, John and Heather McVey, Garrett and Sarah Miles, Ryan and Sadie Reeves, JD and Meghan McVey, Isaac McVey, and MaryAlice Rose McVey. Entombment will follow in the Barbourville Cemetery with military funeral honors.
Honorary casket bearers will be: Andy Buell, Ron Grubb, Haskell Mills, Keith Ramsey, Kenneth Ramsey, Sonny Lawson, Stan Lawson, J. Harold Messer, James Freeman, Rodney Smith, Chuck Hembree, Gary Bergeron, Archie Miller, Matthew, Michael, and Jeff Carnes, Danny Ray Howard, Andy and Johnny Miles, Dr. Brian Murphy, Members of Mountain Masonic Lodge 187, Members of Bell Masonic Lodge 691, Barbourville Shrine Club, Randy and Peyton Lawson, Chris Asher, Keith Mills, Aaron Brown, James Albert Martin, Preston Carl, Kelley McHargue Elliott, and all the friends and past customers of Flat Lick.
In lieu of flowers, the Miles family requested, with gratitude, donations to East Barbourville Baptist Church Building Fund.
Arrangements are under the direction of the Knox Funeral Home.
