Colette Anne Marie Miles

Colette Anne Marie Miles passed away suddenly, at the age of 82, on Thursday, November 21, 2019 with her two sons, Patrick Paul Miles and Marc Stanley Miles by her side.

She was born, Colette Anne Marie Morand, on March 30, 1937 in Pacy sur Eure, Normandy, France to father Paul Lucien Emile Morand and mother Marie Louise Roux. She became the oldest of three siblings, with two younger brothers Claude and Andre.

Her earliest memories were as a young girl in Nazi occupied France; her family having to live in a cave for a time to escape the hazards of war. After the war, she grew into a young woman, excelling in her studies, earning a degree in Education and becoming proficient in the English language.

Colette was working as a teacher when she met Telesfor (Ted) John Miles, an Air Force pilot stationed at the U.S. air base located in nearby Evreux, France. Colette and her French girl friends would attend dances at the air base to meet American airmen and smoke their American cigarettes. She and Ted spoke the other’s language, which facilitated a blossoming romance.

Colette and Ted married after a one-year engagement and quickly had two sons, Patrick Paul and Marc Stanley. Her third son, Anthony Brian, arriving two years later after the family had relocated back to the United States at Hill AFB, Utah. Colette became a military housewife, raising three rambunctious boys while supporting Ted as he went away on many Air Force missions, including two tours in Viet Nam; living on military bases in Texas and Wyoming until Ted retired from the Air Force.

Colette brought her fabulous French cooking with her to the states and shared many delicious dishes with friends and family throughout the years. A dish of particular note was escargots with garlic and butter, which became a tradition at each Christmas and Easter dinner. Being French, eating organs was not alien to Colette and the scent of pan-fried kidneys or liver often wafted throughout the Miles’ kitchen. She was also not afraid and was willing to experiment with new recipes, which led to such memorable dishes such as slow cooked beef tongue and Polish borsch. Her motto was you must try before you can deny.

Speaking French on the phone with other French military wives kept the sounds of her birth country echoing throughout the house as she prepared meals in the kitchen for her boys. If not French, the sounds of records being played by singers such as Tom Jones, Englebert Humperdinck, and Johnny Mathis were her favorites, Colette often singing along with one of her sons.

When the boys reached high school age, Colette decided it was time to find a job outside of the house and she began a career as a travel agent, which lasted more than 35 years until retirement at the age of 74 when her husband Ted’s health began to waver. During these years, she often travelled around the country and the world to visit her sons.

Colette was a devoted member of the Lions Club and worked diligently over the years on many fundraising efforts, earning her numerous awards for her contributions.  She supported many children with contributions to the child fund while she waited for grandchildren of her own, and when all three boys played instruments in high school bands, Colette became a band boosters volunteer, eventually serving as Trinity High School Booster Club president. Another lifelong mission was continuous support for local food banks. Colette took pride in providing good meals for her family and believed that food should be shared with those in need, probably a reflection of the lean years as a young girl living in Nazi occupied France and the post-war period.

Colette was preceded in death by her son Tony, who had moved to Australia to pursue new life adventures, and by husband Ted, whom she supported daily during the last year of his life at a nursing care facility.

Colette became a grandmother very late in life to four children, including Gavin and Mallory Connell who joined the family with the marriage of Patrick and Tara Davenport, and the birth of Claire Colette Miles and Hugh Patrick Miles. Life’s struggles: the death of Ted and a cancer diagnosis for son Marc, presented an opportunity for a move to Albuquerque, with Colette and Marc supporting each other and sharing a house within walking distance of Patrick and Tara’s family. Colette relished the time spent with her grandchildren, including many sessions of “memee school“ with the little ones. Buying clothes for Claire and Hugh was another activity Colette enjoyed and her on-line shopping kept Amazon and UPS busy. Until the end, each day in the last stage of her life was met with the anticipation of spending more time with her grand kids, family, and friends.

Colette’s intellect, true grit, positivity, engaging personality, sense of humor, and over-arching love for family and friends made her life a remarkable one. Everyone she ever met and spent time with were blessed with and felt the warmth of this witty, and beautiful woman with her engaging, bright blue eyes. She will be deeply missed by all who knew her and her spirit will live on in all of us.