LORENE (MILLER) JACKSON

Alva and Faye (Rhoades) Miller welcomed their daughter, Lois “Lorene”, on Friday, April 7, 1939, in Wheatland, Wyoming.

Lorene was born with the wind in her hair, on the back of a horse, as she helped her parents working on many ranches in the Platte County area. She particularly loved being at the Gus and Ruth Miller Ranch. At the age of three she was bitten by a rattle snake while she was running home from Gus and Ruth’s house.   Throughout her life she proudly showed the scars of that adventure.   As a teenager she returned to the Miller ranch in the summers where she was fondly known as “Butch.”  Pappy (Gus) would let her ride his horse when working cows – something that others on the ranch didn’t get to enjoy.

When Lorene was nine, her brother, Keith, joined the family. Lorene was a second mother, a mischievous companion, and a loving big sister to Keith as they grew up. She and Keith along with their dad broke many saddle horses and teams. Many stories can be told of chasing antelope and rabbit hunting in the tall grass.

Lorene started school in a one-room school house at the Moffat ranch through the fourth grade and then moved to live with her grandparents in Chugwater, Wyoming to attend school, graduating in 1958. She was not particularly fond of school, but honed her musical talent, briefly taking piano lessons from Mrs. Margret Staats, and playing a saxophone in the school band. 

After high school, Lorene worked in Cheyenne for ten years until she married Dan Jackson in 1967. She and Dan then began building their life together, of 58 years, east of Chugwater. Dan and Lorene were eventually joined by their son, Craig, and daughter, Roxanne, as they raised beef cattle and farmed dry land wheat. She could be found well into her 80’s riding her four-wheeler checking cows, taking care of her sheep, and fixing fence alongside Dan.

Along with ranching, Lorene’s passion was music. She was, for the most part, a self-taught pianist and accompanied countless musicians for school programs, festivals, and special events. She was also a long-standing member of the Chugwater Valley Church and Music Club. Lorene loved working with kids and gave many students a love for the piano and saxophone.

Lorene, 86, passed away on Thursday, July 31, 2025, at Cottonwood Creek Memory Care Center in Cheyenne, Wyoming.

She was proceeded in death by her parents, Alva and Faye Miller.

She is survived by her husband, Dan; their son, Craig (Lisa) Jackson; daughter, Roxanne (Cary) Uhrich; brother, Keith Miller; and grandchildren, Ethan, Hadley, and Isaac Uhrich.

A Memorial Service will be held at 1:00 P.M. on Friday, August 15, 2025, at the Chugwater Valley Church, with Pastor Ron Moore officiating. Interment to follow at the Iowa Flats Cemetery. 

Friends and family may call at the church on Friday, August 15, 2025 from 11:00 A.M. to 1:00 P.M.

In lieu of flowers, please donate to the Chugwater Valley Church, 120 3rd Street, Chugwater, Wyoming 82210 or the Prairie View Community School music program, 406 5th Street, Chugwater, Wyoming 82210. 

Gorman Funeral Homes - Platte Chapel of Wheatland, Wyoming is in charge of the arrangements.

Condolences can be left for the family at www.gormanfh.com

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