Dr. Christine Miller

Dr. Christine Miller

Belton, SC

Dr. Christine C. Miller, of Belton, died Thursday, February 18, 2016, at the Rainey Hospice House after a lifetime of playing and teaching music. She is survived by her husband, Robert E. Miller, of the home. She was the last surviving member of her immediate family.

Dr. Miller was born September 21, 1935 in Helena, Arkansas, daughter of the late Austin Murray Coates and Christine Heslep Coates. Her love of music can be traced to a childhood when many evenings were spent singing around the family piano. A graduate of the University of Mississippi, Dr. Miller earned a master's degree in music and a doctorate in musical arts focusing on piano performance from Ohio State University. She made her debut at New York's Town Hall and was active as a recitalist and soloist with orchestra. As a finalist in the first International Gottschalk Competition, she developed a keen interest in the music of the American composer and pianist Louis Moreau Gottschalk.

During her years in Ohio, Dr. Miller was active with Women in Music Columbus, serving as the organization's president. She came to Anderson in 1989 and joined the faculty of the Anderson Academy of Music the following year. She taught piano students until January of this year.

A "cradle Episcopalian," Dr. Miller started and led music programs at two churches, St. Patrick's Episcopal in Dublin, Ohio and St. George's Episcopal in Anderson. She also provided music at churches in Oxford, Miss. and Pittsburgh. Most recently, she was a virtual member of the National Cathedral of Washington, D.C.

A memorial service for Dr. Miller will be held on Saturday, February 27, 2016 at 12:00 noon at St. George's Episcopal Church, 2206 E. Greenville Street, Anderson, SC 29621, with the Rev. David Bridgforth officiating.

In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to St. George's Episcopal Church, 2206 E. Greenville Street, Anderson, SC 29621.

A message of condolence may be sent by visiting www.mcdougaldfuneralhome.com. The McDougald Funeral Home and Cremation Services, Anderson, SC