Shirley A. Miller

Shirley A. Miller, 80, of Casselberry, Florida, went to be with the Lord on June 11, 2016. Her faith sustained her through a long and difficult illness. Born July 17, 1935, in Gabarus, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, to parents Elizabeth Lewis and Eldred Aulenback, Shirley moved to Central Florida in 1956 where she raised her family and had a career in insurance. She worked for The Hartford and later with Lone Star Life. Prior to retirement, Shirley worked at Felton McCrary Brokerage. She was a graduate of the Sydney Academy in Nova Scotia. During her working years, Shirley was a member of the Siroptimist Club and served as the Recording Secretary for the Orlando Action Chapter of the American Women's Business Association, organizations which promote women in the community through leadership and support. She was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Hugh Kroeger Miller, who lovingly called her "Sweet Shirl," her brother, Benny Aulenback, and sisters, Deanna Vogelsanger and Iva "Sis" Lewis. Shirley is survived by her loving family: sisters, Audrey (Peter) Ceres of Ontario, and Margaret Lund of Sydney; daughters, Charlene (Rick) Goss and Renee (Neil) Morrison; Hugh's sons and daughters, Eric (Jerilyn) Miller, Doug (Susan) Miller, Christy (Bob) Carlson, and Linda (Dennis) Stevenson; and 15 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren. In addition to spending time with her dearly-loved family, Shirley was an avid reader and enjoyed mysteries, autobiographies and reading about Ireland, a place which she had wanted to visit in her lifetime. She took pleasure in music and song, classic film and writing poetry. In her youth, she was the soprano soloist for her church and was a lifelong Elvis fan. She often spoke fondly of the first time she saw Elvis Presley in person while he was filming on location in Ocala during the making of the movie, Follow That Dream, in the summer of 1961. Shirley had many lifelong friends and wonderful neighbors who were good to her and brought happiness and support to her days. In her retirement years, she reveled in the use of social media as a means of staying connected with friends and relatives and at one time, was active in a group which was successfully instrumental in petitioning efforts to keep traditional soap operas on network television. She rarely missed an episode of General Hospital. Another of Shirley's hobbies was designing greeting cards for the special people in her life which often included photographs and personalized poems and verses. Shirley had a poem published in I Am Poetry - a Group Anthology by Various Artists titled "Hitching a Ride to Oz." Her inspiration for the poem was the 2013 film, Oz The Great and Powerful, as well as one of her favorite childhood movies, The Wizard of Oz. A cancer survivor, Shirley often thanked God for retaining her eyesight and along with reading and writing poetry, Shirley relished watching treasured classic movies. One of the last great films she saw was Giant, featuring two of her favorite actors of her day, Elizabeth Taylor and Rock Hudson. In her last years, Shirley was blessed to have fellowship with the Sharing and Caring Group at a local community church where she served as an ambassador who sent greeting cards on behalf of the group to its members. The group, in turn, showered her with cards of well wishes and visits throughout her illness. A shy child, Shirley blossomed throughout the years and was known for her gentle voice and politeness. She always had a word of thanks for her caregivers and would often be heard saying "Thank you, Dear." Shirley loved Country and Western music and playing the Yamaha guitar which her husband, Hugh, gave her as a gift. She played the piano and organ from childhood and throughout her life. Shirley had a special place in her heart for the Celtic music and Scottish heritage of Cape Breton where she was born. She was fun-loving and in the "good old days," she loved square dancing and was known to do a Scottish jig. Whenever she visited Cape Breton, Shirley delighted in driving the Cabot Trail and stopping in Baddeck, the summer home of Alexander Graham Bell, and remained ever fascinated by the wildlife she saw along the scenic drive. As a little girl, Shirley grew up with her cherished black cat, Midnight, who lived to a very old age. When her daughters were young, she gave them a toy apricot poodle which they together named Gidget from the movie character of that name. She and her devoted husband, Hugh, later shared the love of their precious white schnauzer, Twinkle. The family would like to express its gratitude to the many doctors, nurses and medical staff at Florida Hospital and Life Care Center Altamonte for their tremendous care and compassion for Shirley during her time of illness. With God's help, Shirley became a champion in the face of adversity. May the Lord's grace and peace be with her for evermore. A Celebration of Life will be held on what would have been Shirley’s 81st birthday, Sunday, July 17, 2016, at 3:00 pm at the Altamonte Chapel, 825 E. Altamonte Drive, Altamonte Springs, Florida 32701 (407) 339-5208, with the Reverend Dr. Robert ("Pastor Bob") Melhorn officiating. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations be made to the Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida or the Adult Literacy League, Orlando.