May 9, 2025

Linn County News

Published May 14, 2025

John Ted Miles passed away suddenly May 1, 2025, at the Guest Home Estates Assisted Living Facility in Fort Scott, Kan. He lived at 9 N. Hillside Drive, Holiday Lakes, before his battle with diabetes caused blindness and a lower leg amputation. He was born to Alvin Ted Miles and Alice Virginia Ruby Miles on Jan. 29, 1960, Kansas Day, at Mercy Hospital in Ft. Scott, Kan. John was a small infant but grew to somewhat resemble a lumberjack. John said he looked like a mountain man and he ate like a caveman. His appearance, according to his longtime nurse, Tereasa Hall, caused him to be misunderstood by many. He sounded like a grizzly bear, but he was really more like a teddy bear. He was so tender-hearted. He didn’t endorse sticky traps for mice because he said it was “too cruel.” 

John attended Fort Scott High School and Clarksburg Valley Chapel. Pastor Randy Query shared Christ many times with him and believes he reached John. Recently, John was asked if he trusted Jesus and he shouted loud and clear, “I trust You, Jesus.” Last June when John went into cardiac arrest, our local EMS brought him back after four minutes. What a capable and caring ambulance crew. Since then, there have been many other close calls, but it wasn’t John’s time. He was a simple man with simple pleasures like Lucci’s ribs or fried catfish, real mashed potatoes and white gravy, and salad with lots of crackers. He had false teeth, but didn’t like wearing them. Crackers helped him chew up lettuce with Ott’s dressing, and no tomatoes. John loved oatmeal cookies; especially the ones made by Faith Wells. Faith befriended John when visiting Guest Home Estates. 

He loved hotrods. He owned a few; a blue 1964 Chevrolet Impala two door hardtop he bought from his cousin, Joe Johnson and pimped it out, a white 1965 Chevrolet SS Impala that belonged to his stepfather, Kenny Johnson, a white with a black vinyl top 1972 Chevelle Malibu, most people remember his “rainbow truck” 1972 Chevrolet pickup, painted like Jeff Gordon’s NASCAR. His last was a red 2002 Z71 Chevrolet. He cherished each of his vehicles and took great care of them.

John was a hard worker. His first job was hauling hay for his stepfather. He was meticulous at whatever he did because he was taught a job worth doing is worth doing well. He took a lot of pride in hard work and loved the “bucks” that came from it. Times changed with technology and John’s declining health, but he became a jack of all trades. Anything John saw done he mastered. Firewood was meticulously stacked twice, once in the truck and again in the customer’s yard. He built fence, harvested walnuts, scrapped metals and whatever he could do to make the bucks. His life spiraled after a tree cutting accident when a limb fell straight down and broke his neck in two places. He developed a blood clot that caused a stroke, and tube feeding was required; however, John loved to eat. He was determined and fully recovered and ate as he pleased. John’s work spoke for itself. He loved setting limblines on the Little Osage River. This fall we will, at his request, release his ashes there on Oct. 11, 2025, at 2 p.m.

One of John’s favorites was roll-your-owns and is one of the factors that caused his lung problems. The day before he died, he called his cousin Ruby to take him into town. First, he got a haircut and his beard trimmed. They went to the bank and got the bucks and went to Lucci’s and ate a great lunch and then it was 4:20 somewhere. That was John. He lived life on his terms. It was his time.

John’s greatest love was for his mother, and he has mourned her for forty-nine years. He’s been on his own since the age of sixteen and slept most of the time in her car, the ’65 Chevy Impala mentioned before. Now they are together again, beholding the face of Jesus.

John is survived by his stepfather, Kenneth B. Johnson, one sister “the bossy one” Dollie Shadden and her husband, Harry “Sid”, who has patience to no end, of Fulton, Kan.; a cousin who has been like a sister, “the fun one”, Ruby Johnson Kline of Fort Scott; nephews and nieces, Isaiah, Seth, Harley, Olivia and Brian; and many friends and family members.

John would say “thank ye” to everyone, Verena, everyone at Guest Home Estates, Dr. Self and his nurses who cared about and for John. Like the river where we will release John’s ashes, people flow through our lives, and we hold on to the memories and lessons learned. God is good and we thank him for our Beloved John.

A quote from A River Runs Through It: “Each one of us here today will at one time in our lives look upon a loved one who is in need and ask the same question, ‘We are willing to help Lord, but what if anything is needed?’ for it is true we can seldom help those closest to us. Either we don’t know what part of ourselves to give or more often than not, the part we have to give is not wanted. And so it is, those we live with and should know elude us, but we can still love them, we can completely love without complete understanding. He was beautiful.”

John will lay in state at the Cheney Witt Chapel from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday, May 6, 2025 through Friday, May 9, 2025.

Memorials are suggested to the Guest Home Estates activity fund and may be left in care of the Cheney Witt Chapel, 201 S. Main, P.O. Box 347, Ft. Scott, KS 66701. Words of remembrance may be made to the online guestbook at cheneywitt.com.