Peggy Sue Miller

Peggy was born in Ogden, Utah to Gerline and Milo Sharp in 1951. When Milo died in 1955, Gerline was left to raise her three daughters on her own. In her mom, Peggy had a model of a fiercely strong, independent woman who walked through life with grace, humor, and compassion. Throughout her life, Peggy emulated her mom in these and so many other ways.

After Milo’s death, Gerline and her three daughters moved from Utah, and after some time in Washington and North Dakota, settled in White Bear Lake, Minnesota. Gerline remarried and Peggy gained another sister and a brother. Peggy spent the rest of her childhood and early adulthood in White Bear Lake until she met the love of her life, Thomas. She and Tom married in St. Paul in 1973.

Peg and Tom had the best kind of marriage. For fifty-one years, they loved each other and they liked each other. They were partners, confidants, the best of friends.

In 1974 their son, Scott, was born and their daughter, Amy, followed in 1976. The family became a close-knit foursome, and their house was filled with love and laughter. Peg was the engine of the family; she planned camping adventures, cross country road trips, beach vacations, and family reunions. She worked in various jobs in administration, but her priority was always her family. She was the t-ball coach, brownie leader, Sunday school teacher, and favorite classroom volunteer. Whether it was hand making Halloween costumes, creating a scavenger hunt to make a long road trip more fun, or waking the kids up in the middle of the night to see a meteor shower, she made the ordinary special.

Later in life her relationship with her kids became a treasured friendship. She was their most steadfast supporter and biggest cheerleader.

As empty nesters, Tom and Peg lived well. They enjoyed time “at the lake” and explored all of Minnesota’s state parks. And then they ventured farther afield, exploring Europe, Canada, the Caribbean, central America, and more together. They were the best of travel companions and even if they started out with a tour, they would often ditch the group to discover their own mom and pop café in an alley off the beaten track. Peg loved nothing more than wandering the streets of Rome with Tom.

Of all the roles she played in her life, perhaps the one she was best suited for was that of Grandma. She was “Grammy” to grandsons Soren and Jonas, and she loved them and was prouder of them than just about anything. For the first years of their lives, Soren and Jonas spent every day with Grammy and Grampy, and every day held some sort of adventure. She filled their days with art projects and books and field trips and playing in the back yard. As the boys grew, her relationship with them grew as well. She was their biggest fan, and she never passed up an opportunity to tell them how smart, and kind, and special they are.

Peg died unexpectedly on February 28, 2024. While her death is a shock to those who loved her, we take comfort in knowing that she lived every day right up until her last and she leaves behind a legacy of love.

She is survived by her husband, Tom; children Scott and Amy (Bradley) Peterson; grandsons, Soren and Jonas Peterson; siblings Gayle (Jamey) Peters, Diane Johnson, Mark (Wende) Bergmeier, and Karen Bergmeier; siblings-in-law Bob Miller, Bill (Patty) Miller, Terri (Bob) Gindorff, and Debbie (Tom) Newton; and many nieces and nephews.

We will gather with grateful hearts to celebrate Peggy’s life on Wednesday, March 13th, 2024 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Stillwater, MN. A service of remembrance will take place at 11AM with a visitation beginning at 10AM.

In lieu of flowers or memorials, we ask that you make a donation to a cause that is important to you or simply extend a gesture of kindness to someone in Peg’s honor.