Anne R. Miller

Anne Miller, née Rollie, born Bo'Ness, Scotland, died November 19, 2024, in Thousand Oaks CA.. She is survived by her husband, Serge Miller, and sisters Marion Middleton of Edinburgh Scotland and Jennifer Audeau of Christchurch New Zealand.

Anne died of a massive stroke, suffered the previous day, while trail hiking in the Malibu mountains of California. She collapsed without warning, and was transported, by helicopter, to a nearby trauma center. The neurosurgeon's medical team identified a brain hematoma, that could not be drained sufficiently, her right side was extensively affected and no response was found to any stimuli, it was judged that any further procedure would not be likely to be successful, accordingly her ventilator was removed. She managed to survive another 16 hours, tragically never regaining consciousness, she was heavily sedated and passed without pain.

I have lost a wife of forty five years, in less than twenty hours. It is not possible to describe my grief, and I truly regret not saying goodbye. The following commentary and observations are totally inadequate as a portrait, but hopefully give the correct impression of this remarkable woman.

Anne, to me, always represented the best. Her beauty, laugh, energy, love of life, her easy way of talking to strangers, her feel and appreciation for music and painting, made her a unique human being. Her inner strength and belief in herself, made her capable of facing many challenges including surviving cancer surgery. She loved Scotland, but wanted to see the world. Immigration to Montreal, Canada, to take a high school teaching position was a beginning, and my blessing, since we met, fell in love and married.

Anne, a gifted student, obtained a Teacher’s Diploma, (High School and College Teaching), graduating in 1968, aged 20, from the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow. To satisfy an endless need for learning, her first degree was followed by a Bachelor of Arts in 1983, from Concordia University in Montreal, Canada, culminating in 1994 with a Master of Science in Human Resources, from Northwestern University, in Boston Massachusetts.

Her working career, spanned 26 years, and she excelled in many fields, including a 17 year career, as an influential teacher, at the Sir Winston Churchill High-school, in Montreal Canada, followed by positions in Marketing at Wine World in GA, Corporate staffing at TMG in Boston MA, and Human Resource Executive staffing, at the Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts.

She was a great cheerleader of my professional career, we moved many times across all regions of the United States, she accompanied me on many of my business trips to Europe, South America and Asia. Although we relocated five times through Canada and the United States, she made sure that each of our homes were peaceful, always with music, a rose and many bird feeders were considered necessities. She always took great pride and joy, in exquisitely decorating our many houses for Christmas.

Besides her academic achievements, from three universities, and long work career, she found the time to explore many new areas of interest such, scuba diving many times in the Caribbean islands, and becoming an excellent golfer. She was a voracious reader of literature, the Scottish writers were her favorites. She enjoyed friendly competitions but was ruthless, playing bridge. A

master vacation planner, she made it possible for us to travel extensively and never tired of researching, finding and reaching for new places to discover and explore. She showed me so much more of the world, never tiring when viewing museums, walking the streets of the great cities on five continents, visiting the great castles and cathedrals of Europe. Getting tickets for the foreign opera houses in Vienna, Prague, London or Tallinn, although a difficult task, was seen as a mere challenge and no obstacle at all.

Anne shared my life, living with her was easy, and made me a better human being. Although her journey has now ended, mine will continue, her family, friends and students will remember. I must endeavor to see life as she saw and experienced it. It will be difficult, hopefully, I have learned enough, never forgetting what is owed. I will return her ashes to her beloved Scotland, which she always called the place of beginnings.

Upon learning of her death, Jennifer, her older sister, shared this beautiful memory of growing up in Bo”ness Scotland.

“Anne was indeed my little sister, the two of us playing in our favorite place “the Glen”. This was where we developed a love of nature and history. We could spend hours searching for snowdrops, primroses and bluebells nestled amongst the ancient trees. We would tread carefully around an old dam gathering tadpoles and frogs. Before leaving the Glen we would make a wish on the witches’ stone, always with our foot on the stone. We never told each other what our wish was, but I can guess - she found happiness and love with you. Thank you for the 45 years she was cherished by you.” Jennifer Audeau

The pictures below were taken in October 2024, in Lubeck Germany and Riga Latvia, during our last vacation. The first picture shows Anne, sharing a seat, with the Lubeck, Marienkirche statue, of the “Laughing Devil”, from a thirteenth century legend. She thought the story a delight. The second picture was taken in Riga, where the weather had turned very cold, and Anne decided that a hat was needed, and she should go shopping. The best selection came from a Latvian lady, who knits and sells woolen hats directly on the sidewalk. Anne selected and bought a hat that definitely suited her. I took a great many pictures of Anne, from many locations, through the years, always her smile revealed her enjoyment of the moment and deep love of life.