Jean Miller

1938 - 2020

Jean Miller
June 1, 1938 - October 31, 2020
Ashland, Oregon - Jean was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the only child of Max and Toby Slafsky. She departed this mortal coil on the day when the veil between the worlds is traditionally thought to be most thin.
Jean moved several times across the country before finally spending most of her life in California, working as a civil servant for the military – Army, Marines and Air Force at various times.
After marrying Greg 31 years ago, Jean's travels began in earnest. She took up scuba diving and dived in different seas around the world. She finally gave up diving at the age of 80 after 1,800 dives. Jean felt most at peace in the ocean and marveled at its many wonders. To hear her describe holding an octopus in her hand was wondrous in itself. She and Greg also travelled extensively and visited all seven continents, some more than once. Jean liked to allude to her ethnicity by referring to herself as the "wandering Jew."
After retiring at age 56, Jean decided to stimulate her brain and went back to school. She received her Masters degree in English from California State University in 1994 with honors. She loved the power of words in theater, prose and poetry, and after Greg retired in 2016, they moved from Sacramento to Ashland so she could immerse herself in it.
In Ashland she joined the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship and took to heart their commitment to helping the community. She volunteered at the UU office and the Ashland Resource Center. Eventually a scholarship fund at SOU will be established in her name for minority students in need. Jean was a passionate advocate for justice and equity, and she would encourage all of us to be passionate advocates too.
Jean is survived by her husband Gregory, her son Steven (Janet), her daughters Danielle and Janyne, her step-son Brian (Alison), and her grandchildren Chelsea, Kelly, Monica, Linda, Drew and Adam.
At Jean's request, there will be no service. Her ashes will be scattered where her heart abides, in the ocean. Jean asked that the poem "Song" by Christine Rossetti be included in her obituary:
When I am dead,
my dearest, Sing no
sad songs for me;
Plant thou no roses
at my head,
Nor shady cypress tree:
Be the green grass
above me
With showers and
dewdrops wet;
And if thou
wilt, remember,
And if thou wilt, forget.
I shall not see the shadows,
I shall not feel the rain;
I shall not hear
the nightingale
Sing on, as if in pain:
And dreaming
through the twilight
That doth not rise nor set,
Haply I may remember,
And haply may forget.
Arrangements: Litwiller- Simonsen Funeral Home, Ashland, Oregon. www.litwillersimonsen.com