Arleatha "Kay" Miller

Arleatha "Kay" Miller

Arleatha "Kay" Miller (89) passed away on the night of Tuesday, February

20, 2024 at the Polson Health and Rehabilitation Center surrounded by her loved ones. She was born on April 12, 1934 in Sandy, Oregon to the late Curtis and Minnie Pillow.

Kay grew up in Siletz, Oregon, graduating from Siletz High School in 1952. She married the love of her life, James "Jim" H. Miller, on September 8, 1951 in Hillsboro, Oregon. Together, they welcomed four daughters into the world, Carol, Linda, Barbara, and Lisa. They remained happily married until Jim passed away in 2004.

The couple moved to Philipsburg, Montana in 1962, where Kay worked as a secretary at the local high school. In 1969, the family moved to Lolo, Montana where Jim and Kay opened a saw shop, Miller Saws. In 1978, they moved to Stevensville, where Jim built a home along the Bitterroot River. In 1999, Jim and Kay took in their great-grandchild, Alexzandera, whom they raised and who lived with and helped care for Kay up until her passing. Kay lived in her Bitterroot home until her move into assisted living in September of 2023.

Kay remained quite active late into her life, even accompanying her great-granddaughter on a trip to China in 2012 where she visited Beijing and Shanghai. In her free time, Kay enjoyed spending time with her cats, gardening and caring for plants, spending time with her family, and watching Wheel of Fortune every evening.

Kay was preceded in death by her daughter, Linda Llewellyn in 2008 and is survived by three daughters: Carol Miller, Barbara Deschamps, and Lisa Miller (husband Mark Vanloh); grandchildren: Bob and Riley Pearson, Malissa Bennett, Amanda Miller, Mike Llewelyn, Curtis Deschamps, Danell Miller, and Ashley Miller; great-grand-daughters: Alexzandera Miller, Autumn Sutton, and Lux Sutton; twelve more great-grandchildren; and two great-great-grandchildren.

A memorial gathering will be held at noon on Saturday March 2, 2024 at 1580 Milwaukee in Missoula. Condolences and memories may be shared with the family at www.whitesittfuneralhome.com.