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In clouds and in dreams, a family's love lives on

By Max Jungreis

Published August 8, 2025 at 4:10 AM EDT

Rayford Junior Miles — a World War II veteran from Alabama — came across as a classic tough guy. But to his granddaughter Melanie Harrison, he was just 'Papa.' Melanie spoke with her father, Jim Miles, to remember a grandfather with a soft heart and a comical communication style.

Max Jungreis

Stories From This Author

A secret in a garden after a winter of grief

Max Jungreis

Today's StoryCorps is about a love that lasted through the seasons. Patrice Hudson was apprehensive about online dating until she met Byron Ball, a high school science teacher who, like her, was a single parent and had been married before.
Man adjusts to life after surviving a bear attack that blinded him

Max Jungreis

Dan Bigley was on a fishing trip in Alaska when he accidentally came between a bear and her cubs. In this StoryCorps, he talks about the attack that left him blind and about adjusting afterward.
Why 2 funeral home directors have chosen to stay in the business for so long

Max Jungreis

Hear a conversation recorded inside a Brooklyn funeral home. It's owned by Doris Amen. She and a fellow funeral director friend tell StoryCorps why they've been in the business for so long.