Patricia Ann Miller

Patricia Ann Miller, age 60, beloved wife, mother, and sister, was called to her eternal rest on Saturday, November 21, 2020, laying down her burden after a long battle with cancer. She entered this world on October 7, 1960 in Jersey City, NJ, born to Donald and Mildred Juechter, and spent her childhood living with her family in Secaucus, NJ. She is survived by her husband, Eric Miller; and sons, Alex, and Chris Miller; her brothers, Donald and Robert Juechter, and many other family members and friends, both in the USA and across the world.

She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Art from Jersey City State College, and later moved to the Maryland suburbs of Washington, DC, where she met her husband, Eric in 1987, and was married on May 13th, 1989. They moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico in the spring of 1995 and soon purchased a house together and started a family. Her son, Alexander was born in November 1996 and her son, Christopher in July 1999.

Trish was so many things far beyond what can be mentioned within the scope of this brief obituary. She was beautiful, smart, funny, determined, resourceful, tireless, and a fighter. She may have departed from New Jersey, but never left behind the spirit of her childhood home and environs. She was a "foodie", who loved cooking and learning about food and the restaurant trade, not just from the diner's point of view, but also in trying to understand and sympathize with the people who work in the industry. She was a habitual tea drinker and loved her pets, most recently her cat, Shadow. And most of all she loved the outdoors: traveling, skiing, hiking, camping, and backpacking (which she did on her honeymoon trip). And she loved children so very much.

She combined those last two loves in both her personal and professional life. She was employed for many years in Albuquerque at Child Care Centers (most recently the University of New Mexico Children's Campus) and was a devoted and extraordinarily effective teacher and care giver for the children in her care. She frequently had the experience of meeting those kids again later in life, while shopping or at a restaurant, inevitably getting and giving big hugs of affectionate remembrance.

She worked tirelessly and with passionate energy as a volunteer in the Boy Scouts of America, with multiple ages and ranks of boys and more recently girls as well. She was an Assistant Scout Master for Troop 395 and Scout Master for Troop 1395. She graduated from scouting's prestigious Wood Badge leadership training program and was granted the council level distinguished service Silver Beaver Award in recognition of her efforts, by the Great Southwest Council of the BSA, with whom she was also professionally employed in the council office for several years.

A Memorial Service for her will be held on Wednesday, December 16, 2020 starting at 2:00 p.m. Mountain Time (4:00 p.m. Eastern, 1:00 p.m. Pacific), at FRENCH – Wyoming. We understand that many people would like to attend in person but cannot do so under current circumstances - instead we are representing you as being symbolically present in the form of balloons and flowers, the latter will be given to her by her family at the conclusion of the ceremony. Her service can be viewed (either in real time or later at your convenience), via this link:
http://webcast.funeralvue.com/events/viewer/42578

We ask that instead of sending flowers, to please make charitable contributions, either to the charity of your choice, or to a fund administered by the Boy Scouts of America for restoring areas of the Philmont Scout Ranch which were devastated by wildfires two years ago, which can be found here: https://donations.scouting.org/#/council/NCFD/appeal/113
Philmont held a special place in Trish's heart, and she would be greatly pleased by any assistance with this task which honoring her memory might provide.