Phyllis Louise Miller

RICHMOND, Ind. - Phyllis Louise Miller, age 79, of Richmond, died Monday, June 6, 2011, at her home. Born October 4, 1931, in Dayton, Ohio to J. Paul and Verda Hershberger Gibbel, she moved to Richmond from Elgin, Ill., in 1997. Survivors include her husband, Donald E. Miller to whom she was married August 19, 1956; daughter, Lisa Kathleen Miller (Cyrille Arnould) of Luxembourg; sons, Bryan D. Miller of Chicago, Ill., and Bruce D. Miller (Michelle Ellsworth) of Boulder, Colo.; sister, Kathleen (Welton) Snavely of Nonington, U.K.; and brother, Donald (Jan) Gibbel of Richmond, Ind. Grandchildren include Madeleine, Jacob and Beryl Arnould; Natasha Miller Bragg (Ross Tipton Bragg), Uli Miller, and Satchel Spencer. She was preceded in death by her parents. Phyllis grew up in Hollansburg, Ohio, and then attended Manchester College in North Manchester, Ind., graduating in 1953. She taught Home Economics in the public schools in Chrystal Lake, Ill., and Dayton, Ohio. After she and her husband were married in 1956, they moved to Chicago, Ill., where she taught in Chicago area elementary schools. In 1969 she helped develop and direct a nursery school program related to the York Center Church of the Brethren. In 1986 she and her husband moved to Elgin, Ill., and she became deeply engaged in the ministries of the Highland Avenue Church of the Brethren. She retired to Richmond, Ind., in 1997, where she was an active member of the Richmond Church of the Brethren. Phyllis was widely traveled. In summer of 1954 she participated in an International Work Camp in Schwarzenau, Germany, where the Church of the Brethren originated. Her husband's work brought sabbaticals in New Haven, Conn. (1968-69), Cambridge, England (1975-76), and Bukuru, Nigeria (1983), near the area where her parents served as missionaries some 60 years earlier. She also accompanied Don to Korea and Australia. When her children were young, Phyllis was an enthusiastic guide on family trips to many parts of the United States and to Canada. Her later traveling was often to visit her children and grandchildren with whom she loved to correspond. These trips took her frequently to Russia, France, Luxembourg, Spain, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, Washington D.C., and Boulder, Colo. Phyllis maintained a lifelong interest in music and art, something she passed on to her three children. Her talent for color and design was evident to visitors in her home and garden and to those who viewed her charming and amusing photograph albums. She was a faithful singer in the choirs of churches she attended. She loved teaching Sunday School classes and they loved her as a teacher. She sometimes served on the church board coordinating Christian education for children and youth. She also helped to create Alternative Christmas fairs, deacon events, and evangelism programs. She was one of the initiators that created the Global Women's Project. She is regarded as an advocate of women's leadership in the ecumenical church. Her devotion to Christ was quietly practical, joyful and wonderfully formative for all who knew her. Visitation for Phyllis Louise Miller will be from 4-8 p.m. Saturday, June 11, 2011, at Doan & Mills Funeral Home, 790 National Road West, Richmond. Funeral service will be at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, June 12, 2011, at Richmond Church of the Brethren, 1 S.W. 17th St., Richmond, with Rev. Matthew McKimmy officiating. Burial will be in Trissel Cemetery, New Lebanon, Ohio. Memorial contributions may be made to: Richmond Church of the Brethren or Global Women’s Project, 1 Southwest 17th St., Richmond, IN 47374. Condolences may be sent to the family via the guest book at www.doanmillsfuneralhome.com

Phyllis Louise Miller

October 4, 1931 - June 6, 2011