Lonnie Miller was born Oliver mine shaft #3 in Fayette County, Pennsylvania. His parents were John and Susan Miller. In 1968 he married Rita Miller with whom he has one child.

Miller attended high school in North Union Township in Pennsylvania. After high school, Miller was a soldier in the U.S. Army. He began working as a coal miner for U.S. Steel (H.C. Frick) in the Robena coal mine in Greene County, Pennsylvania in 1967 and worked there until 1978. He also worked in the Dilworth mine. For 20 years Miller worked as a coal mine Electrical Inspector for the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Bituminous Deep Mine Safety. He retired in February of 2000.

Miller saved articles and pictures from newspapers and other publications for 15 years before finally compiling all the information and publishing the first book in 1997, Robena: A Chronological History of Robena Mine. He also got information through interviews with miners and their families. Since then he has written two more books on the subject.

Many of the miners themselves and their families and friends helped provide information for these books and all are thankful to Miller for creating such a comprehensive view of the mining way of life.

Miller currently lives in Carmichaels, Pennsylvania.