Patricia M. Miller

On April 30, 2020, Patricia (Pat) M. Miller (1925-2020), executive secretary and Foreign Service Officer’s wife, died of coronavirus at Fairhaven Retirement Community in Sykesville, Maryland. Pat, eldest of three daughters, was born in Atlanta, Georgia on July 23, 1925, to Gail Jewell and Charles N. McMahan. Her family moved frequently; and, as a result, Pat attended 13 different grade schools before settling in Pueblo, Colorado. She received a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Colorado with honors and was a member of the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority.

In 1949, following her marriage to Dudley W. Miller, Pat moved to Washington, D.C. where she worked at the National Grange. Shortly thereafter, she joined the staff of Congressman Patrick J. Hillings of California. When her husband entered the Foreign Service, she accompanied him on overseas assignments to Saudi Arabia and Greece. Her only daughter, Jule Elizabeth, was born in Dharan, Saudi Arabia. Pat returned to Washington in 1959 to work on the 1960 Presidential Campaign serving on Vice President Richard Nixon’s staff, and, in 1961, following the Presidential election, she joined the staff of Congressman Peter Dominick of Colorado.

Pat also accompanied her husband to posts in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, and London, England. As the wife of a diplomat, she carried out her protocol duties with grace, wit, integrity and flair. She was an excellent cook, entertained beautifully and had an infectious laugh that arrived in a room before she did. After her husband’s retirement from the Foreign Service in 1980, Pat pursued her interests in gourmet cooking, interior design, tennis, water aerobics, bridge and dancing (including tap) in Leesburg, Virginia and Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. A lifelong dog lover, she raised Cairn, West Highland, Kerry Blue and Scottish Terriers each of whom were mischievous and very, very busy. A voracious reader, Pat volunteered at the Gettysburg Library Store and was a member of the Gettysburg Garden Club, Gettysburg Country Club and the Army Navy Club of Washington, DC. She was also an active member of the Kappa Alpha Theta alumni association. Known for her fun, adventurous spirit, elegant style and straightforward approach to life, Pat will be missed deeply by her beloved family and the many others she touched with her humor and warmth.

Pat was predeceased by her husband Dudley, her parents Gail and Charles McMahan and her sister Marilyn Glyn-Jones. She is survived by her daughter Jule Miller of Silver Spring, Maryland, sister Martha Ryan of Dallas, Texas, nieces Debbie Kuntz (Louis), Katie Blakely and Gail Maitland (Jens) and nephews Scott Ryan (Tracy), Alec Anderson (Maribeth), Ross Anderson and Jason Glyn-Jones (Sharon ), 3 grandnieces and 9 grandnephews, as well as extended family and friends.

A service commemorating Pat’s life will be held at a later date at Arlington National Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her memory to St. Jude’s Children Research Hospital (https://www.stjude.org), the Humane Rescue Alliance (https://www.humanerescuealliance.org) or a charity of your choice.