I'm a little late on this, but just found out about Bert, my old friend and neighbor from Pepper St. Alhambra.  I was Mary Microulis back then.  She was the best neighbor a person could ask for.  She turned into a very good friend.  I was living in a triplex next door during that time for about 6 years.  We shared many laughs and had a deep relationship with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Pepper St. at that time  was a wonderful place for kids growing up.  My daughter Ronda meant some life long friends on that street.  I worked as an instructional aide at Alhambra High School.  I believe Bert was an aide at one time too.  So sorry to hear about this wonderful lady.  She was such an inspiration to me and my family, along with her husband John.   RIP sweet friend.  See you at heavens gates one day.  Blessings to her family!

I spent a summer at her home in the mid 90s. I helped take care of her birds and the  grounds. She was a strong and independent woman. I learned a lot from her in a short time. She gave me a love for hard work and so much more. She always had Dads Root Beer on hand and I would drink as much as I could after a long days work. She also was a great cook. She made delicious chicken fried steak with gravy and sides. I never ate so good as a kid. We would spend the evenings in her den and watch Andy Griffith reruns among others. She made a big difference in my life. I went back to have her meet my 8 kids and beautiful wife.  She was still independent even so many years later. I think of her every time I drink root beer and have chicken fried steak. I included a picture of my family.  Rest In Peace. 

Mom was the neighborhood mom as were some other moms on Pepper Street growing up in Alhambra California were the street was a good safe place for kids and adults to learn about life things. She was known as Bert or aunt Bert to everyone. The teen girls would go to Bert for tips on sewing and the mom’s would gather to discuss current events or neighborhood kids at our house at anytime of the day where they were always welcomed with a never ending cup of coffee. You couldn’t get away with much without mom knowing! She was a cub scout den mother, Sunday school and vacation bible school teacher encouraging kids about god and skills for their future. We had many neighborhood get togethers where we all learned to socialize and care about family, friends and neighbors. 
When the family went on vacation mom was always in the center of activity and you always new she would help with anything, even fishing.  
You could always depend on mom for support when we would bring home “pets” and strays or if her kids or grandkids needed a hand with childcare or other things. She made many sacrifices to help family or friends without judgment.
When our daughter Stephanie was sick with cancer, we could always depend on mom’s help with our other kids or emotional support. 
Our many memorable trips to the Southern California beaches, the river, Missouri or other places are the times I will always cherish and thank mom and dad for. 
Like mom did remember to talk to each other in person when you can and take life’s hardships as they come and work hard to get through them. It will always get better and you will learn from all of it.
God bless mom and all of you.

   My Nana was one of my favorite people. She was so tough and fearless, but so kind, gentle and understanding at the same time.  Some of my earliest memories of her, were when I would visit her and my Paw Paw when they lived in Alhambra. I was very young,  maybe around 4 or 5 years old, and she would let me sit up at night and watch TV with her. Things I shouldn't have been watching like Love Connection... We enjoyed The Golden Girls which I still watch on a regular basis.  I remember crying my eyes out when it was time to go home, and not wanting to leave. 
  Nana taught me how to hatch bird eggs, hand feed and raise them. She taught me the same when it came to all of her cats, minus the hatching part. We would go out to eat and play keno, she loved playing bingo, and playing cards at home. 
 Nana showed a great deal of passion for everything that she did, never doing anything half way. She would've done just about anything for anyone.  So many of the lessons that I have learned, and so much of who I am today is because of Nana. Almost everyday something I see or hear reminds me of Nana, or what she would say, or how she would react to something, it makes me laugh a lot so I know she has something to do with that. 

All though she wasn't the same recently, I've come to the conclusion that God changes people a little before he takes them from us, in an attempt to make it easier, but it really isn't. I look forward to when I get to see her again. 


Loved looking thru the photo gallery.  Thanks for all the wonderful memories.  Love to all of you. 
 Aunt Lucy


The Blume Girls and the Miller Kids… what a fun batch of cousins.   No doubt, my favorite vacations were to Pepper Street in Alhambra California.   Auntie Bert… the silly lady that entertained us, broke up the cousin arguments and decided who got the roller skates next.   Always a menagerie of animals lurking around her house; ant farms, several kinds of lizards, birds, rabbits and whatever other critters the boys brought home.  

Goofy things we remember about those visits… walking to the little corner market to get the baloney ends… Aunt Bert chasing me and Johnny D with the fly swatter because we were the most mischievous… fruit pizza… Mexican food so spicy you could barely eat it, but you did… Disneyland… Santa’s Village… Knott’s Berry Farm… Olvera Street and those Mexican jumping beans (of course, later in life I find out there is a worm in the bean and I am totally grossed out)… and my ultimate favorite – chasing California grunion fish on the beach late at night with a bucket and flashlights.    Not sure I caught too many of those slippery fish, but sure laughed a lot at Auntie Bert’s 6 foot frame scrambling after them. 

Fishing off the pier and walking the beaches with the Miller Family are memories etched forever.   I have always loved the beach… still do… nothing compared to building sand castles with Aunt Bert… attempting to surf with Johnny D, chasing Jerry and Larry up and down the shoreline, and sunbathing with Kathy. 

Uncle John and Aunt Bert was the perfect match.  Loved each other.   Adored their kids.   Took wonderful care of Grandmother Blume.   Aunt Bert created a getaway for me that no one else could have.   Thank you Aunt Bert.   Love you with all my heart! 

Nancy 


I love Nana very much. I loved the look on Nanas face when I would dance. I feel blessed that God gave her to me.

Nan kept me company on the phone for hours at a time on several occasions.  She never ran out of things to talk about.  She had a way of story telling that was so vivid, blunt and honest, it was amusing and entertaining.  Everything was delivered in a very matter of fact sort of way.  She also had a mind full of interesting information and I always came out knowing something I hadn' t before.  She loved animals, could name any type of bird you described, and talked to and interacted with animals as if they were sweet children.  She loved her family and relished in their company, visits, calls, pictures, and stories.  She kept up to date on family close and also those far away.   I will never forget her comforting words to me when my grandmother passed away.  She spoke of God and what greater things lied beyond as if she knew, as an undeniable, absolute fact, that it were true.  I believe Nan is now in that place of comfort, and after the last several years of continuing to prove how strong (and stubborn) she was, she finally was called to rest in the place she spoke so fondly of and was not afraid to go to.  May God do His best to keep up with Nan now in Heaven!

OBITUARY

Alberta Lee Miller

August 14, 1933 – August 4, 2018

Pierce Brothers Crestlawn Memorial Park and Mortuary

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