Mariana Miller

Marianna Miller August 8, 1925 to November 20, 2022 Marianna Miller was born on August 8, 1925 in Presov, Czechoslovakia (now Slovakia). She was the only child of Olga and Pavel Eger, a Jewish family whose roots in Presov went back four generations. In 1939, as it became clear that Nazism was taking hold in the Slovak part of Czechoslovakia, Marianna's parents made the difficult decision to send her to boarding school in England where they hoped she would be safe from threat of Nazism. Olga took Marianna by train to the Stonar School near Atworth, Wiltshire England. Marianna never saw her parents again. Olga and Pavel hid in Hungary for much of WWII, but returned to Banska Bystrica, Slovakia in 1944 where they were captured and executed. Marianna arrived at Stonar at the age of 13. She knew no English (though she was fluent in four other languages), but quickly learned English which became her primary language for the rest of her life. At school, Marianna made life-long friends who became her new family. After graduating from Stonar she moved to London and in 1943, she enlisted in the army and served as a driver in the ambulance corp. Despite bombings in London by the Germans with V1 and V2 rockets, the theaters, cinemas and pubs were open and she was young and enjoyed life. After the war, Marianna enrolled in the University of London and obtained her Bachelor of Science in economics in 1949. In 1952, Marianna emigrated to the United States and lived in Chicago where she had extended family. In 1954 she received her Master of Arts in the School of Social Service Administration (MSW) from the University of Chicago. She also met her future husband, Richard T. Miller in Chicago. Marianna's career as a social worker included working in hospitals, schools and family services clinics and working with intellectually disabled and autistic children and adults. Towards the end of her career, Marianna had a private practice and counseled individuals and families. Marianna married Richard Miller on August 4, 1955. They had three children. They lived in Ossining, New York for 18 years, then moved to California and ultimately settled in Santa Cruz, California, where Richard died in 1986. In 2017, Marianna moved to Raleigh, North Carolina to be close to her daughter, Miranda. Marianna valued kindness and decency in her work and her relationships. She was the executive director of Planned Parenthood in Schenectady County, New York and was actively involved in the League of Women Voters. She marched in the anti-war movement and championed the cause of civil rights. She never failed to call out (in a gentle way) acts or words of discrimination and believed in the dignity of all people. She was a great traveler, avid reader, art lover and bridge player, and she had a keen intellect. Finally, she loved tennis. Although she was unable to play after her mid-70s, she rarely missed a Grand Slam tennis tournament. In the last few years of her life, Marianna began to reconnect with her Jewish roots through participating in the Kesher Group, organized by the Jewish Family Services of Wake County, NC as part of their efforts to support Holocaust survivors. The Kesher Group provided a forum for residents of Wake County who were holocaust survivors to connect and share their experiences. Her involvement with the group culminated in the production of a documentary on the Kesher group, "Where Can I Go (wo ahin soll ich geh'n)," about the life-long impact of the Holocaust on survivors. Marianna was grateful to make an important contribution to educating the next generation about the Holocaust and thrilled that at the age of 95 she was finally on film, like Shirley Temple, her favorite actress as a child. Marianna was predeceased by her parents and husband. She is survived by her children, Alison Miller of Sacramento, CA, Paul Miller of Oakland, CA and Miranda Miller of Raleigh, NC, her daughter-in-law, Lisa Miller, and Lisa's daughter, Kris, and her two beloved grandchildren, Miranda Miller of Brooklyn, NY and Alex Yalcin of New York, NY. We will miss you so much, mom, and are grateful to have been part of your journey. Marianna's family will hold a private celebration of her life. In lieu of flowers, donations in her honor may be made to Planned Parenthood, Jewish Family Services of Wake County or the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants. Events Details are pending.