Kristine A Miller

Kristine (Kris) Miller passed away peacefully on Wednesday morning the 8th of February, 2023. She had her two children (Meagan & Andy) and her sister (Marta) by her side. In her final days, she was in Encinitas, California experiencing the beautiful sunny weather, enjoying the nice breeze off the Pacific Ocean, being comforted by the picture-perfect sunsets, and watching the dolphins play in the ocean waves from the back porch.

Kris was born in Lansing, Michigan and lived in Haslett, Chelsea, and Pinckney before retiring and placing her roots in Traverse City. She felt most at home in Northern Michigan and did not want to be anywhere else in the summers. Kris loved to walk Good Harbor beach with friends, looking for Petoskey stones or catching a Lake Michigan sunset. She loved to spend an afternoon in Elk Rapids, go for a laid-back pontoon ride, or sit on a sunny deck having a good time chatting with family and friends. Her smile was infectious and having an interesting conversation over a nice Old Fashioned was about as good as it got in her book.

Kris was a dreamer and adventurer, and always the optimist. She was always up for experiencing a new place, meeting interesting and diverse people, and trying and cooking different foods from all over the world. She liked to talk about her trips and reminisce about the great people she met and the wonderful food she experienced. She was particularly fond of her several Thanksgivings spent in New York City, trips to Maui with her children, a memorable trip to Amsterdam, winters spent in Florida, and Pinot Noir tastings all over the Willamette Valley (Oregon) at boutique wineries.

Known as “Meenah” & Grandma to her grandchildren, she loved her three little grandkids (Mira, Shane & Thiago) with all her heart. Kris was a creative soul and loved to sew Halloween costumes when her kids were young and her grandkids in recent years. Together, they collaborated down to the final details. It was a big highlight every fall! She loved to teach her grandkids the importance of eating vegetables, bake with them, share how she was perfecting her latest sourdough recipe, how to be strong and confident, and give them the best back rubs in the world before bedtime.

A celebration of Kris’s life is currently being planned by her children. The celebration will be as she would have wanted; with amazing food, plenty of laughs, and the beautiful sights and smells of northern Michigan in the spring/summer.