Obituary of D. Darlene Miller

D. Darlene Miller

Born 4/19/1929  in Cheyenne, Wyoming.       Died 12/5/2021 in Tucson, Arizona.

Services

Funeral Mass – Friday, February 11, 2022  - 10 am

Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church, 1300 N. Greasewood Road, Tucson AZ 85745

Burial – Chino Valley Cemetery, Chino Valley AZ

Preceded in death by
Husband, Gerald (Jerry) Miller in 2017. They were married 67 years.

Parents, Glenn Kroeger & Ethyl Smith Kroeger.

Siblings, Donna Cheever (husband Roland, deceased); Virginia ‘Ginger’ Hanlon (husband Hubert, deceased); Glenn Kroeger Jr. (wife Marilyn, deceased.)

Survived by
Son, Marc A. Miller (wife Liz R. Miller.)
Daughter, Victoria M. Bostwick (husband John Bostwick, deceased.)

Cousin, David Rutkofsy.

Brother-in-Law, Don Miller (wife Marie, deceased.)

Grandchildren,
Andréa Rodriguez Miller (Francisco Padilla)
Matthew L. Miller (Elizabeth Skandalakis)
Meredith Ford (Tyler Ford)
SSgt Jacob Bostwick, USMC (Sarah Rosser Bostwick)

Great-grandchildren, Donavan; Araceli; Malia; Christianna; Hannah; Sergio; Garrett; Scarlett; Sebastian; John-Levi.

Nieces, nephews and relatives in Arizona,Wyoming & Colorado.

Darlene's Life
Darlene Kroeger was born and raised in Cheyenne, Wyoming.  She attended schools in Cheyenne and graduated from St. Mary's High School.

In 1950, Darlene & Gerald "Jerry" Miller were married (they eloped to Ft. Collins, Colorado.) They celebrated 67 years of marriage in 2017, prior to Jerry's passing.  As a young wife Darlene lived in Sheridan WY and Kimball NE before returning to Cheyenne.  Darlene enjoyed her role as her husband's mate and homemaker for the family.  She was a Cub Scout den mother and Girl Scout leader and was supportive in many other ways.

Darlene & Jerry moved to Tucson AZ with their children Marc and Victoria in 1966 for the warm climate and job opportunities.  Golf was a sport Darlene took up while in Tucson.  Her domestic skills continued to shine.  She made great meals and loved to try out different cooking and baking recipes.

In 1972, Darlene, Jerry & daughter Victoria moved to the Prescott AZ area, where they started their family business, Miller's Small Engine & Repair.  Darlene kept the books, helped customers and performed chain saw repairs at the shop.  After she & Jerry retired to Chino Valley outside Prescott, she took on roles as an Executive Assistant and Elections Worker. Being a Grandma was one of her favorite pursuits during these years.

Darlene & Jerry returned to Tucson in 2017 to a home in the Park West Community. Darlene moved to Watermark at Continental Ranch Assisted Living in March 2019, where she resided until her death in December 2021.

Darlene's Talents and Accomplishments
Throughout her life Darlene was a creative, artistic woman.  She excelled in sewing & quilting, knitting & crocheting, ceramics, painting & crafting. She won several Yavapai County Fair ribbons for her ceramics and her quilting talents were highlighted in a Chino Valley newspaper feature.  She took greatest joy and pride in making special, individually designed items for each person in her family throughout the years.  Up until the week before her passing she was an eager and active participant in arts & craft classes at her Watermark home.

Music was always important to Darlene. In her teen years she sang in the choir and played the organ in the Catholic Church. She continued to play various keyboard instruments over the years. She sang to her children and grandchildren and often gifted them with records and other forms of music.

Outdoor activities were special to Darlene.  She enjoyed horseback riding in the 1970’s -80's with Jerry, friends and family.  She loved to fish and hunt. She took up archery for a time and was very good at it.  She was a master with all things related to gardening - she truly had a green thumb! Everywhere she lived she was surrounded by beautiful blooms and plants of every type. 

She loved to travel throughout her life, whether it was camping trips with the family in her young married life, accompanying Jerry to his wild land fire camp assignments in the 1980's, or going on Alaskan & Hawaiian cruises with the Bostwicks in the 1990's-2000's.

Darlene will always be admired as a strong person who faced and overcame many challenges in her life. She will forever be cherished as a woman who demonstrated great faith, love and devotion to her family.  

In Lieu of Flowers, Memorial Tributes in Darlene’s honor can be made to

Most Holy Trinity-Parish Outreach (attn: Brittney Morales)

1300 N. Greasewood Road, Tucson AZ 85745

Tucson Botanical Gardens

https://tucsonbotanical.org/donate/tribute-or-memorial/