Matilda "Tillie" Ckuj Miller

Tillie entered this world and lived her all-too-brief life as a ray of light. At birth, she beat all specialists' expectations and after 97 days in NICU came home to a family and life brimming with love, laughter, and warmth. She was a bright and beautiful beacon around which everyone she met orbited, a star whose light was extinguished too soon.

Tillie filled the world with her easy smiles, sly smirks, flirtatious tutu twirls, unlimited warm hugs, silly giggles, big belly laughs, and long snuggles. Every stranger became a fast friend, and she made everyone she encountered feel seen and loved. Tille did everything with enthusiasm - her epic hide-and-seek games, runs in the park, spirited dance parties, and loudly sung princess songs. And she did them with the flair of a girl ready to strut down the red carpet in her fancy pink cowboy boots.

Whether it was when she lined up to be the first to jump off the diving board, or testing out the rope swing upside down, Tillie’s bravery was obvious. And when she had to take big yoga breaths to get through her treatments, she made sure everyone around her knew that she was okay, because Mighty Matilda did not show fear or weakness.

We will miss reading bedtime stories with Tillie and enjoying her endless snuggles. We will miss her infinite curiosity, her limitless passion for all things nature be they winged or wiggly, and her love for water in all its forms - whether a splashy puddle or a frosty snowman. Most of all, we will miss her love and her light. To have known Tillie was to have been within the realm of Divinity. Her presence was angelic.

Tillie, you were wanted and loved like no other before you were born, and you left this world with impossibly more love given and gained. You showed us how to find beauty and light in all things, even amongst the messiest things.

We celebrate and will always cherish the brief but boundless love and joy you shared with us. We love you now and always.

Tillie is survived by her Mother Erica Ckuj Miller, her sister Maryanna Veit, her Grandfather Pete Ckuj "Opa", Aunty Sue Litz, Grandpa Don and Grandma Sandy Miller, Auntie Terri and Uncle Mark Tschaenn, Uncle Mike and Auntie Amy Miller, and many, many cousins near and far. She now joins her father, Robert Miller, and Grandmother Maria Ckuj "Oma", in heaven.

A visitation for Tillie will be held Saturday, February 10, 2024, from 12:00 PM to 3:00 PM at Crown Hill Funeral Home & Cemetery, 700 W. 38th St., Indianapolis, Indiana 46208, followed by a funeral service at 3:00 PM.

Everyone is invited to wear shades of Tillie's favorite colors: yellow, orange and pink!