Norma Jean Miller

Norma is survived by her husband of 45 years, Robert “Bob” Miller, daughter Lindsay (Chris) Miller Schlie of Columbus, Ohio, son Andy (Erin) Miller of Dublin, Ohio. Then, there’s the ones she loved most- her grandchildren. She cherished the time she spent spoiling Norah (7) and Jake (4) Schlie, and Sloane (9) and Blaire (6) Miller. Norma is also survived by her dearest sister-in-law Margie Miller and her partner Lynne Leslie of Cincinnati, Ohio.

She is also survived by her two loving sisters, Ann (Mike) Carroll of Phoenix, Arizona and Lucy Plahy of Columbus, Ohio. When these three got together, their laughter was the sincerest sound of joy ever heard. They spent hours singing songs from their youth or recounting memories of a childhood blessed with good friends and family. Norma’s beloved nieces, Kim Carroll Bosler of Crested Butte, Colorado and Alisa Carroll Wunnicke of Anchorage, Alaska, would attest to wonderful memories they created whenever they reminisced about the old days, like how Norma always managed to get out of doing the dishes when they were kids.

Norma is preceded in death by her parents, Andrew and Regina Plahy, as well as her father- and mother-in-law Urban and Elizabeth “Betty” Miller.

Norma was born in 1948 in Warren, Ohio where she was raised. She often reminisced about time spent on her family’s farm in Niles, Ohio and vacations to Lake Milton. She graduated from Warren G. Harding High School in 1966 and then moved to Columbus to attend the Ohio State University.

While in college, Norma traveled extensively throughout Colombia and Mexico which instilled in her a love of Hispanic language and culture. She majored in International Studies in 1970 and eventually became a Spanish Teacher. Norma started her career at Northland High School in the Columbus City School District. She later spent many years teaching the Spanish Language to students at Hilliard Davidson High School. Norma also taught Advanced Placement Spanish Literature which eventually led to her teach courses for credit at Kenyon College. Her favorite authors were Isabelle Allende and Gabriel Garcia Marquez because of way they weave magic into stories about love, life, and loss. Norma was inducted into the Hilliard Davidson 25 Club where she was honored by her colleagues in a beautiful tribute to her impact as an amazing educator.

Norma’s love of teaching and adventurous spirit prompted her to bravely lead groups of high school students on trips abroad. She was so passionate about what travel could do for a person’s soul that she was never deterred by the daunting task of wrangling high schoolers through foreign lands. Over the years, she took kids to Spain, Mexico, Costa Rica, France, Italy, and Morocco. She adored watching her students grow as they experienced new cultures, and she loved learning new things herself. In fact, ziplining through the jungles of Costa Rica while in her sixties was one of her proudest accomplishments.

Norma met her husband Bob while working as a waitress at a restaurant in German Village called Diebels- now Barcelona. Bob said it was love at first sight. Norma said he grew on her…but however they began back in the seventies, he was her greatest adventure. They decided to raise their family in Dublin, Ohio where they loved being part of the community. They became members of Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, in addition to St. Brendan’s and St. Brigid’s Catholic Churches. Bob and Norma, or Borma they were affectionately nicknamed, just celebrated their 45th wedding anniversary in August by taking their family to dinner at the same restaurant where they first met.

While Bob began his real estate business in the eighties, Norma took time away from her teaching career to care for her two children, Lindsay and Andy. She was lucky enough to be surrounded by other stay-at-home moms in her neighborhood and made friendships that lasted throughout her lifetime. Together, these women were her village, and they created magical childhoods for their children. Between Christmas activities, birthday parties, garage sales, craft nights, Halloween parties, trips to Wyandotte Lake and the Columbus Zoo, there was rarely a dull moment. Norma’s fondest memories were from being a part of the Riverside Green neighborhood and raising her kids there.

In the nineties, she moved to Murifield Village where she continued to become part of the community as her children attended Dublin Coffman High School. She loved watching her kids play sports and making friends through them. Her circle of friends expanded to include her new neighbors whom she also treasured spending time with, and watching their families grow.

As avid a traveler as she was, Norma’s heart was in Lake Erie. Her favorite vacations were spent at Lake Erie with her family and friends. Many of those reading this will remember trips to Put-In-Bay, put-put, go-carts, and eating fried perch at the Jolly Rogers or spaghetti at Phil’s Inn. The past two summers, she shared her love of the Lake with her grandchildren Norah and Jake. She made sure they learned how to run into the waves and feel their feet in the sand, just like she did with her own kids.

Finally, Norma enjoyed accompanying Bob on his professional gatherings with other realtors. Although it felt like a chore when she first started attending business functions, like the Realtor’s Ball, she soon realized that she was making lifelong friendships with people whom she grew to love like family over the years.

Norma loved life, with all its ups and downs, and she loved people. Her loss is devastating to those who loved her back but we take solace in knowing that she is in a better place. Her family is grateful to the medical staff at Riverside Hospital for helping her pass peacefully in her last hours.

Arrangements entrusted to Schoedinger Dublin where a visitation will be held on Tuesday, December 6 from 4:30-7:30 pm. A funeral service will be held on Wednesday, December 7 at 1pm at Prince of Peace Lutheran church in Dublin. In lieu of flowers, please send donations in her honor to the Hilliard Education Foundation.