Wanda Louise Miller

When Wanda Louise Miller walked into the room, those in her company felt energy, an enthusiastic spontaneity. This was just one example of who Wanda was and how she impacted those around her. Wanda was a clever and gregarious person who always sought out the finest attributes in other people. It was as if Wanda wanted to share all of their experiences, revel in their lives and celebrate their discoveries. Wanda was tireless and had boundless enthusiasm that would serve her well throughout her life.

Wanda was born on May 8, 1961 in Rupert, Idaho. She was the daughter of Maria Delourdes Dominguez. Wanda was raised in Eagle Pass, Texas and San Jose, California. Always at the ready with a good joke, she grew up to be quite a humorous person. While some who knew Wanda might describe her as an idealist, her friends and family understood well that Wanda was always in pursuit of life’s endless possibilities and opportunities available to her.

Wanda was raised with three siblings, Baldemar Cantu, Sergio Dominguez, and Yolanda Pagaduan. Yolanda Pagaduan was more like a daughter to Wanda. Wanda was very accepting and supportive of her family. She was perceived as the central person in her family in terms of keeping communication open between the family members. Whenever discord or tension arose within the home, Wanda was typically the member who brought about resolution and harmony. These traits served Wanda well in her adult life and, along with her wit, outgoing personality, and understanding of others, drew the admiration of many who knew her.

As a young girl, Wanda was able to empathize and identify with a vast array of people and personality types. This quality drew her into a diverse group of friends and acquaintances. Wanda was intelligent and had little trouble getting along with her peers. She was almost always the first to jump in when it came to playing games or participating in other childhood activities. Wanda took part in bike riding and horseback riding. Wanda's memorable achievements included her adventure, where she went to the army at the age of 17. Wanda had the ability to find amusement with almost any activity she and the many childhood friends she shared might discover.

During her high school years, Wanda responded enthusiastically to any new project and was regularly in search of one adventure after another. She graduated from San Jose High School in 1979. Wanda was a very good student, and generally did well in her courses. Wanda absorbed as much as she could from all of her teachers and was consistently able to tackle conceptual and abstract problems, using her imagination to master her assignments. For Wanda, school often became just an extension of playtime, thanks to her ability to turn just about anything into a game. Classmates considered Wanda a good listener, knowing that when necessary, they could go to her to discuss just about anything.

With a talent for making acquaintances easily which in turn brought her an endless stream of friends, Wanda was very sociable and could blend without effort into any social group. Assertive and outgoing, Wanda was easy to know and demonstrated a deep concern for others. She always seemed aware of what was going on with people around her and throughout her life she made many, many friends. Later in life, she became friends with Sylvia Sanchez and Arcelia Guajardo.

On October 7, 1994 Wanda married Kevin Miller in San Francisco, California. Wanda's skill at “building bridges” played an important role in her ability to make her new family happy. She was quite sensitive towards Kevin's needs, showing her constant concern and fondness. Wanda was tenderhearted and sensitive, qualities that served her well in helping to nurture her family.

Wanda was a natural and creative parent who was willing to provide her family with all sorts of new and interesting experiences. For Wanda, parenting was a particularly enjoyable and pleasurable part of her life. Every activity, from chores to bedtime routines, became a game in the Miller home. Wanda's skill at understanding her children's feelings, her sensitivity to their needs, and her gift for gentle persuasion enabled her to find novel solutions to any problem or situation that might crop up. Wanda was blessed with two daughters: Theisha Rush and Yolanda Pagaduan. They were also blessed with two grandchildren, Michael and Mya. In her spare time she liked to read, travel to Costa Rica, and be with her dogs.

Wanda was uplifted by new ideas and was excited by life’s possibilities, traits that made her an exceptional worker. Her primary occupation was an eligibility worker for Santa Clara County and a Union Representative. She was employed with the county for about 10 years, helping others. Before that, she held several positions with different companies, always helping people. Wanda was enterprising, inventive and working against deadlines seemed to energize her. Wanda had the uncanny ability to identify a win/win solution to just about any problem, possibly because of her gift for insight. Wanda's fellow workers saw her as a supporter and a mentor.

Wanda served in the army for a few years. She was stationed in Germany and she then later had her daughter Theisha, in Fort Campbell, Kentucky. Wanda then moved to San Jose in 1985.

Because Wanda loved to have a broad variety of activities in her life, she took advantage of the opportunity to pursue numerous hobbies. Her favorite pursuits were traveling, reading, spending time with her grandchildren, shopping with her daughters, and helping people. Wanda had a knack for being able to multi-task in order to create time for all of her favorite pastimes. However, Wanda's ever-present concern for others always took precedent.

Wanda derived much satisfaction from watching her daughter and grandson play sports. Her charisma, supportive nature and ability to improvise when called upon to do so all made perfect attributes for enjoying a great many sporting activities. Tops on her list were watching her daughter Theisha play softball and basketball.

Wanda was a woman who was dedicated and devoted to her faith. Wanda was very spiritual and believed in God. She accepted Jesus as her saviour. She was sympathetic and able to empathize with others and she used these qualities to the fullest while working tirelessly for her beliefs.

Wanda's love of improvising in her daily life was a perfect fit for her enjoyment of traveling. Her favorite vacations were ones that were not planned. Traveling in a casual manor fit her personality well. Excited about seeing changing scenery and constantly looking for the enjoyment life could offer, Wanda took her vacations seriously, well, as seriously as she possibly could. Her favorite vacation was going to Costa Rica.

Wanda was a lover of animals and cherished her pets. Pandora, a chihuahua, was a best friend for 5 years. Her family was rounded out by her pets: Gizmo, LJ, Panda, Lucy, and Spot. Wanda loved animals all her life and she passed this love on to her children.

When Wanda's retirement finally came in 2007, Wanda handled it the way she usually did. She adapted and, like everything in her life, made it satisfying. Because she was such a flexible person and able to adjust to any situation, retirement was just another enjoyable change of pace for Wanda to master. In retirement, she found new pleasure in spending time with her daughters and her grandchildren. Even in retirement, Wanda continued to stay in touch with her old friends and like always, made plenty of new ones.

Wanda Miller passed away on April 7, 2012 at San Jose, Costa Rica. Wanda fought a long and hard battle against Hepatitis C. She was very strong and was always positive. Services were held at Oak Hill Funeral Home in San Jose, California. Wanda was laid to rest in Oak Hill Memorial Park in San Jose, California.

There was always a certain style and inventiveness to Wanda. She was a dynamic, self-expressive person who was forever looking to celebrate the endless possibilities life had to offer. She had a knack for being clever, creative and witty, and for others, was a joy to be around. She taught others around her so much. While she was often fiercely independent, it seemed as if many others looked to Wanda Miller for inspiration, leadership, wisdom and even courage. Wanda was always more than willing to share life’s experiences with her loved ones.