Suzanne Thorne Miller

Suzanne Thorne Miller of Jackson, Mississippi passed away peacefully on September 27, 2026 at the age of 92. Suzanne was born August 22, 1934 to John and Myrtle Thorne of Irondequoit, New York. She attended the College of Wooster in Ohio, graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Biology in 1956. She earned her doctorate of medicine in 1960 from SUNY Syracuse School of Medicine. She completed her training and residency in pediatrics at University Hospitals of Cleveland and at the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne, Australia. In 1968, Dr. Miller completed a fellowship in pediatric pulmonary disease at Case Western University.

It was at Case Western that Suzanne met Richard Miller, a surgical resident, who proposed to her after a three-month courtship. Sue and Dick were married within a year and enjoyed 56 years together. In 1969, the Millers moved to Mississippi, becoming professors and clinicians at the Children’s Hospital of the University of Mississippi Medical Center. Dr. Miller was the first pediatric pulmonologist in Mississippi.

Dr. Miller’s career in pulmonology spanned more than four decades at UMMC. In 1973, when UMMC became a designated Cystic Fibrosis Center, she was named its director. She served in that capacity for 28 years, collaborating on national research trials for CF and contributing to advances in treatment and clinical care. Dr. Miller substantially increased access to and quality of cystic fibrosis care in Mississippi. She intensified home care, increased visit frequency, and helped to grow the patient population from about 30 in 1969 to more than 200 by her retirement in 2012. During the last decade of her career, she joined UMMC’s internal medicine department to lead the care of adult CF patients.

Dr. Miller was honored in 2017 by the establishment of the Suzanne T. Miller Pediatric Pulmonary Chair at UMMC. In 2019, she was inducted into the UMMC Medical Alumni Chapter Hall of Fame for her service to the institution and her patients over her long career.

Sue enjoyed needlecraft, reading, historical preservation and volunteer work. She served as a Board Member for the Mississippi Chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation for 15 years. She was an active member of Fondren Presbyterian Church. She had a special place in her heart for her summer cottage at the Silver Lake Institute near Rochester, NY. Her husband Richard preceded her in death in 2018. She is survived by her children, Sara Rasmussen, Joanna Storey, Richard Miller, and Robert Miller and their spouses, along with 10 grandchildren.

Visitation will be at Fondren Presbyterian Church in Jackson, Mississippi on Tuesday, October 6th from 9 to 11 a.m. Services will follow at 11 a.m.

The family requests that memorials be made to the Mississippi Chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. (https://www.cff.org/donate)