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26 | December 8, 2016 | The winnetka Current life & arts
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From Page 23
across the street,” she said.
“They had different things
kids could go to on Saturday
morning. They would
have movies on Friday
night and Saturday afternoon,
and bowling, and
that was a very important
part of the community
here.”
She remarks about how
in those early years of living
in Winnetka, the town
seemed a lot smaller and
residents had fewer vehicles.
“That was the time when
people had one car in the
family,” she said. “You’ll
notice all the garages are
for one car.”
Aside from witnessing
the changes of life in Winnetka,
Miller has also lived
through several pinnacle
historical experiences
of modern history, from
women’s suffrage and the
civil rights movement to
advents in technology. In
fact, Miller says the first
president she voted for
was Franklin Roosevelt in
1932.
Miller says she never
imagined technology to
become so advanced in her
lifetime as it has become.
“As a little girl, I would
go to camp, and my parents
would give me a
camera so I could take pictures,”
she said. “That was
very special and it was on
a roll of films that had to
be processed. That was the
beginning of it, and I saw
that and that was what I
got used to.”
Miller got the chance
to experience being in
the presence of England’s
royal family when the
then-33-year-old Queen
Elizabeth II came to Chicago
on June 26, 1959,
to help open the St. Lawrence
Seaway, opening
the shipping canals of the
Great Lakes to the Atlantic
Ocean. The Queen and
her husband, Prince Philip,
made a 14-hour stop in
Chicago and Miller made
her way over to the lake to
see the Queen sail by.
On July 25, 1965, she
saw Martin Luther King Jr.
deliver a profound speech
to over 8,000 people on
Winnetka’s Village Green
where he urged people to
help in the fight for desegregation
and housing
equality.
“That was a moment in
my life that I will not forget,”
Miller said of the experience.
Years later, Miller witnessed
Winnetka’s claim
to fame on the big screen
when Hollywood producers
and actors came to
shoot the popular Christmas
film “Home Alone”
two doors down from her
home. During filming,
Miller said producers put
fake snow on her lawn and
invited her to come outside
and watch the filming of
the movie.
Also, throughout the
years, Miller has served
as an honorary matriarch
of the neighborhood, especially
for a group of women
who call themselves the
unofficial “Ladies on Lincoln.”
“This particular block
is unique because there’s
11 houses and it kind of
encloses us in a way,” she
said, “This is a local neighborhood
and the people are
close with one another.”
For years, Miller and
her fellow neighbors have
hosted dinner parties in
one anothers’ homes and
truly became members of
each others’ families.
After spending seven
decades in Winnetka, Miller
says she would not have
wanted living any other
way.
“We bought this home
70 years ago and it was
very nice, it was comfortable
and I’ve been here
ever since,” she said. I
have no complaints. This
was a convenient location
for me for everything I
wanted to do and it was a
lovely place to be.”
Regarding her health,
Miller still tries to go outside
as much as she can,
going to the North Shore
Senior Center, Winnetka
Public Library and the
lakefront. In fact, Miller
lived on her own until she
was 96. Her first caregiver
was brought in only after
she broke her hip.
Also, every week, Miller’s
dedicated neighbors
continue to stop in for a
visit or call her up on the
phone.
“This is a nice street because
there’s activity all
the time,” she said. “In the
summer, there’s always a
wedding going on by the
Community House. I see
the life go by so that’s really
good.”
While Miller is now the
oldest living person in her
family, one can assume
her family has the gene for
longevity, as he recently
lost a cousin at age 95 and
still has one cousin living
in downtown Chicago who
is 97.
One of Miller’s sons
has passed away, but she
is still survived by another
son and her daughter, who
lives in Arlington Heights.
She also has three grandchildren
and four greatgrandchildren.
Overall, Miller says she
has been blessed with a
wonderful life.
“First of all, I’m very
fortunate. I had a wonderful
husband and three children,
and that makes it a
very good life. I am very
happy. I’ve had happiness
and sorrows, but you have
to take it all in life.”
As for some helpful life
advice, Miller offers one
thing — to cherish every
day.
“Enjoy what you have
because you just don’t
know how life will turn
out,” she said.