In the early hours of Tuesday, February 28, 2012 Gwen Miller passed away peacefully in her sleep. She had been admitted to Royal Inland Hospital a couple of days earlier after a fall and was under observation. Gwen was 95 years old at the time of her passing.
Gwen is survived by her loving children, Jack (Verna) Miller, Christine (Joe) Kenward, and Elizabeth (Dwayne) Burdeniuk; grandchildren Anthony Miller, Dustin (Virika) Miller, Joey Kenward, Nicola (C.J.) Baker, Alyson (Jeff) Van Humbeck, and Michael Burdeniuk; and great grandchildren, Annika Miller and Ross Miller. She is also survived by sister-in-law Rhona Baker of the Hamlets and many nieces and nephews.
She was predeceased by husband Wilson Miller, brother Sid Baker, sister Renee Carswell and her parents Louis and Gertrude Baker.
Gwen was born in Winnipeg, Dec. 26, 1916, but because her father was an Engineer for the CNR, she spent much of her early childhood moving west, eventually arriving in Kamloops in 1927. She attended Stuart Wood Elementary School and later Kamloops High, graduating from Grade 12 in 1936. She attended Vancouver Normal School, completing the requirements for a Teaching Certificate and took up her first teaching position in Lytton in 1938. She met her husband Wilson while in Lytton. They were married in Kamloops in 1941, and then moved east when Wilson joined the RCAF during WWII. After the war, they returned to Lytton, where they purchased a general store, which they operated together until the late 1960's. Gwen went back to teaching in 1963 and was thrilled to return to the career she loved. They made many life-long friends while in Lytton, and Gwen touched the lives of many children during her time teaching there. In 1969 they moved to Merritt where Gwen taught until her retirement in 1980. In 1994 Gwen moved into a condo where she lived until she made the decision to move back to Kamloops to Cariboo Manor in 2004. She spent her last years in the Hamlets, enjoying an active and enjoyable life. Over the years Gwen was a Guide leader, very active in the Anglican Church, the Rebecca Lodge, and as a member of the Retired Teachers Association. She loved to sing and play the piano and continued to do so in her final years at the Hamlets.
