Ian Muller and his wife, Michelle, had two children, Ian Tyler, 15, and Alicia Marie, 13.
Ian Muller is surrounded with players from Riverside High School while he was an assistant football coach for the Warriors.
Friends and customers left flowers, cards and messages in front of his store, Caroline Roasters on the Parkway in Greer.
Known as “Big Ian” and “The Gentle Giant,” Muller’s size – at 6-foot-8 and over 300 pounds -- was impossible to overlook, but friends and family who knew him best say, so was the size of the heart that stopped beating for him Saturday. He was 41 years old.
“People felt that they could always talk to him – no matter what it was about,” said Pam Freeman. “He was always very kind to everyone he met.”
Muller was a former assistant football coach at Riverside High School where he coached the offensive line and owner of Carolina Coffee Roasters on the Parkway near Pelham Road.
In both places, friends and family say he made lives better.
“I think part of his legacy was what he gave to people,” said mother Kathryn Frazier. “(Wife Michelle) told me that he would open up the coffee shop on Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve so that the regulars who had nowhere else to go could come there and have breakfast or a cup of coffee.”
Joel Townsend, a former Riverside offensive lineman coached by Muller currently a Citadel cadet, said Muller made an impact on all of his players.
“The first thing that stand out in my mind is how he was there for us on and off the field, regardless of which side of the ball we played on,” Townsend responded in a Facebook message. “He was a tough coach on the field but off the field, he was a ‘gentle giant’ with a huge heart, and it was obvious that he cared about all of us tremendously.”
Frazier said she is proud of the fact that her son impacted so many people –especially former students and players –. “(Wife Michelle) told me that he would open up the coffee shop on Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve so that the regulars who had nowhere else to go could come there and have breakfast or a cup of coffee.”
Before arriving in Greer, Muller was an assistant coach at Mt. Vernon (Ind.) High School, where his presence was much the same – large.
“There were single mothers there who had their kids playing football and I know he changed their lives,” Frazier said. “Here’s this 6-foot-8 tall guy becoming a loving presence in their lives."
Beyond the football field, friends and customers, who put together a makeshift memorial with flowers, balloons and signs outside of Carolina Coffee Roasters, remembered Muller as much more than a barista.
“The whole French community feels like we have lost one of us,” Solange Caldwell responded to a Facebook message. “We felt right at home at CCR for our weekly French coffee with Ian’s kindness, great sense of humor and contagious smile.
“We will always remember this huge guy holding my 16-month-old boy, teaching him how to make coffee and letting him run around with coffee beans. (He shared) his passion for coffee with everyone. Friends in Greenville, in France, Brazil and even all the way to Dubai and China join me today to express their gratitude to Ian and keep his family in their thoughts and prayers.”
Frazier said she has been overwhelmed by the outpourings of support for the Muller family by the Riverside and Greer community since her son’s death.
“Unfortunately, when your son passes, the world shows you what a wonderful person he was,” she said. “I always thought he was, but this community has been so amazing – they’ve been a family to his family . . . He loved this community and they think enough of him that they’ve put together a Celebration of Life for him.”
A Celebration of Life service for Muller is schedule for 7 p.m. Friday at the Riverside High football field. Those who attend are asked to dress in the colors of their favorite teams.