Flight nurse remembered by friends

Emergency medical personnel, many holding hands, some wiping tears, lined the lobby outside the Woodmont Baptist Church sanctuary, paying their last respects to a fallen sister.

"Tiffany lived a full life. She loved her family and helped others," said the Rev. Greg Hammond, who conducted the service and was a friend of the family. "Lord, you are our healer, our comforter," Hammond prayed. "Bring some hugs to us this day; let us find comfort in you."

Between 300 to 400 people, nearly a third of whom were emergency medical personnel from throughout the area and state, attended the service.

Miles, along with two other members of Air Evac 16, were killed Sunday when the helicopter they were in crashed while helping in the search for a lost hunter. The crash happened in the Freedom Hills Wildlife Management area off Mount Mills Road near Barton.

The pilot, Michael Baker, 41, and paramedic Allan Bragwell, 40, were also killed in the crash. The funeral service for Bragwell was Thursday, while a celebration of life for Baker will be in early April, in Utah.

A memorial service honoring all three of the victims will be at 1 p.m. today at First Baptist Church, Muscle Shoals.

Hammond said Miles told her husband early on that her dream was to be a flight nurse.

"And she worked to achieve that," Hammond said. "She loved her job."

He said Miles worked for Air Evac in Waverly, Tenn., and Corinth, Miss., before transferring to the Muscle Shoals base as lead nurse.

Miles, a registered nurse, worked in the emergency room at Helen Keller Hospital for the past three years and was a flight nurse with Air Evac.

Vicky Pendergrass worked with Miles in Waverly, Tenn. She said she remembers Miles as very sweet-spirited person.

"She was kind and generous. She was awesome," Pendergrass said. "People loved working with her. She was easy to work with and to work for."

Hammond described Miles as meek and mild, "never wanting the spotlight."

Her friends and colleagues agreed.

"Everybody thought so much about her. She evolved from a paramedic into a nurse," said Janie Miller, who has known Miles for eight years. "Over the years I knew her, I got to see her grow into her profession, and she's somebody that is going to be missed very, very much."

She said Miles died doing something she was passionate about.

"She was a young lady who loved life, loved what she did, loved her family and loved her co-workers."

During the service, Hammond talked about some of Miles' hobbies and passions, from Alabama football to scrapbooking, photography and dancing with her husband.

Musicians performed, "A Kiss To Build A Dream On," one of Miles' favorite songs that she and her husband danced to.

"The phone call I received Sunday morning jolted me and had me reeling like everyone else," Hammond said. "But it seemed the Lord was preparing this family (for what happened)."

He said Miles had put together a lot of things about her family in a scrapbook and they had a family portrait made.

"And they had just enjoyed the best Christmas ever, which was her favorite time of the year. For the first time since they were married, Tiffany and Josh spent Christmas Eve and Christmas together," Hammond said.

"The message I got from knowing Tiffany, the daughter, mother, wife and flight nurse, was set out to live your passion, carrying out what you were created to be. And Tiffany carried out what God had built in her."

Tom Smith can be reached at 740-5757 or tom.smith@timesdaily.com.

WHNT photojournalist Carter Watkins contributed to this report.