Obituary of Marni Miller
We are saddened to share that Marilyn (Marni) Eline Miller née Wills passed away in Kingston, Ontario on December 12, 2021 at the age of 89.
Marni was born on her parents’ farm in Lyndhurst Ontario on May 14, 1932. She grew up on the farm and later moved to Lansdowne with her parents Harold and Lillian Wills. Marni is survived by her three children, Mindi Kobayashi (Doug) Victoria BC, Tracey Miller (Greg Olson) Bainbridge Island WA, and Ted Miller (Sue Currie) Sausalito CA, her two grandchildren, Mariko Kobayashi and Samantha Olson, as well as her sisters Diane Warren (Doug) Barrie ON and Sally Wills (Maureen Fraser) Brockville ON.
Marni’s world revolved around family and friends and especially her three children whom she raised singlehandedly. She instilled a love of nature, the environment and animals in her children as she taught them about plants, trees and animals on many nature trail walks, exploring conservation areas, weekend camping trips and country drives. She golfed in the summers and curled in the winters and was always a strong swimmer. Marni was an avid reader always seeking out the next great book and constantly had a crossword puzzle on the go. She loved theatre and music. She loved to travel with her family, including trips to England, Alaska, Hawaii, New York City and across North America for family visits. She took every opportunity to spend time with her granddaughters and taught them how to knit, bake cookies and enjoy nature.
Marni worked as a medical secretary at the Hotel Dieu hospital in Kingston for several years until taking early retirement from the Family Medicine department to care for her own ailing mother. While working in Family Medicine and well into retirement, Marni loved to volunteer for roleplaying with medical students to assist them with practicing their clinical skills. She also volunteered for the Canadian Cancer Society and the Heart and Stroke Foundation over the years.
Anyone meeting Marni would never forget her gregarious laugh, infectious smile, her love of life, her inclusion of others, her kindness and generosity. She opened her home and her heart to students who boarded with her, family friends and a variety of pets (especially her dogs Ricki and Maggie). Marni was often seen walking her beloved Maggie in the neighbourhood with her longtime friend and companion in her later years, Alan Patterson. She took a sincere interest in learning about others, their culture and customs including taking night classes to learn a little Mandarin while a Queen’s student from China boarded with her.
The family would like to extend their gratitude to the kind and caring staff at Rideaucrest Home in Kingston where Marni lived for the last five years of her life as well as Kingsdale Chateau Senior Living staff prior to that.
A celebration of Marni’s life will be held on a future date in the new year.
Memorial donations may be made to the Kingston Humane Society www.kingstonhumanesociety.ca or Lemoine Point Conservation Area at www.cataraquiconservation.ca
