Sandra Beth Rosenthal Miller

Sandra Beth Rosenthal Miller died on March 8, 2023. She was born on April 17, 1934 in Waterville Maine.  Her parents were Paulyn E. Miller Rosenthal who died April 3, 2001 and Philip Rosenthal who died June 30, 1982. Sandra graduated Lewiston High School in 1951 and attended Smith College for two years before transferring to Boston University.  She met Allen I. Miller and married him on June 27, 1954.  She was the “love of his life”.  They moved to Columbus Ohio where Sandra attended Ohio State University for one year before Allen went into Naval Officer’s Training School in Jacksonville, Florida.  They then spent 3 years in Patuxent River, Maryland where Allen taught at the Navy Test Pilots School and their first daughter, Rebecca Ellen was born.  Eighteen months later they had their son, Martin Conrad.  When Allen was discharged from the Navy, they made their home in Wellesley, Massachusetts and had a second daughter, Barbara Suzanne. 

Sandra returned to college when Allen took a job at Westinghouse in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  She graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in June 1969 with high honors and a BS in Psychology. 

She is predeceased by her son, Martin, in 2003.  All of her Aunts and Uncles predeceased her along with six cousins, Harold Wolman, Myrt and Gordon Wolman, Daniel Shapiro, Georgie Wolman and Debbie Miller.  She is survived by her husband Allen, her daughter, Rebecca Meick along with her husband Ronald Meick, her daughter Barbara Legate and her husband Donald Legate and her daughter-in-law Linda Corman Miller.  She is also survived by three grandsons, Philip D. Meick and his wife Michelle, Ethan S. Meick and his wife Tiffany, Benjamin A. Miller, great grand-daughter Maud C. Meick and many cousins and friends.

In 1970, the Miller family moved to Lewiston, Maine where Sandra worked as the interlibrary loan person for the Lewiston Public Library for 3 years, then at the L.L. Bean call center for 3 years.  Before that, she worked for the Lewiston school department for 15 years ending up teaching high school students about cooking so they would be qualified to work in nursing homes or the fast food industry.  She also worked at H&R Block for several years, first as a receptionist and then as a tax preparer consultant.

She enjoyed knitting, cooking, reading, playing mah jongg but most of all traveling, specifically cruising.  The Millers went on over 40 ocean cruises, 4 river cruises and 6 land vacations out of the USA.  Sandra was diagnosed with both breast cancer and Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in 1995 and spent a lot of time trying to help others with information she picked up at seminars.  She believed in tithing and tried to do at least one good deed a day.  When she was first diagnosed with cancer, she said that those who joined a support group lived an extra 2 years so she joined 5 and then didn’t worry about living at least another 10 years. 

The Millers moved from Maine to Galveston in 2005 to be with family and friends.  They lived in The Breakers Condominium where they made many good friends.  Sandra was known for being part of the “Welcoming Committee” for new residents and starting up the weekly happy hour group which still continues today.  They celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary in Galveston in 2014 with family and friends at a local restaurant.  This year they would have been celebrating their 69th wedding anniversary in June and it still would be said that they were the “loves of each other’s lives”. 

Sandra lived her final years at The Meridian in Galveston where she received extremely good care.  The family would like to thank the staff at the Meridian and at Accentcare Hospice for their generous care and support.  Donations can be made to Beth Jacob Synagogue, 2401 Avenue K, Galveston, TX 77550, Temple Shalom, P.O. Box 3315, Auburn, Maine 04210 or to another charity of your choice. 

Graveside services will be held on Friday, March 10, 2023 at 10:30 A.M. at Congregation Beth Jacob Cemetery, 61st Street & Avenue T ½, Galveston, Texas 77551, with Rabbi Peter Kessler officiating.