Center Harbor, NH – Patty Miller, 68, of 458 Piper Hill Road, died November 27, 2010, at her home, surrounded by her family following a 4-½ year battle with cancer.
She was born June 12, 1942, in Logan, Utah to Howard E. and Barbara S. Miller. She grew up in Pasadena, California, graduated from the University of California at Riverside, earned a Master’s of Library Science from Simmons College in Boston and a Master’s of Technical Education from the University of Southern Maine.
After a brief period as a librarian at M.I.T. in Cambridge, Massachusetts, she moved to the Lakes Region, where she lived for 43 years. She was the librarian at the New Hampshire Community Technical College in Laconia for 31 years until her retirement in 2002. Patty was especially proud the year the Senior class dedicated the yearbook to her. She loved her students, many of whom she remained friends with until the time of her death. She was an active member of the State Employees Association and for many years worked on the State Employees Association’s Operation Santa Claus.
For many years Patty reviewed books for the Independent Book Publishers Association. She was a member of the Newfound Regional School Board, the Lakes Region Management Club and served on the board of directors of the Newfound Lake Association. Patty was a volunteer guardian ad litem for CASA for over 10 years, a volunteer at Lakes Region General Hospital, and most recently with Center Harbor, Meredith and Moultonborough Community Care Givers. She loved music and was a member of the Pemigewasset Choral Society for more than 25 years and a longtime supporter of the North Country Chamber Players. An active outdoors person, Patty enjoyed hiking, bicycling, paddling, skiing and bird watching. Although never before a hunter, she twice won a permit from the New Hampshire Fish & Game moose lottery and she and her partner took home a moose in 2008. Patty enjoyed traveling and she and her husband traveled frequently throughout Europe and especially to Ireland.
Patty is survived by her husband, Dennis E. Murphy Jr., of Center Harbor, her daughter, Erika Murphy McAllister, and son-in-law, Rob, and step-granddaughter, Kaitlyn, of Alexandria, NH, her father, Howard E. Miller, of Seattle, Washington, her stepdaughter, Meghan Murphy-Lee, and son-in-law, John, of Highland Falls, NY, her sister, Janet Miller, of Pennington, NJ, and brother, John Miller, and sister-in-law, Karen, of Seattle, WA. Her mother and sister, Jessica Miller, predeceased her.
A memorial service in celebration of her life will be held Wednesday, December 8, 2010 at 11:00am at the Plymouth Congregational United Church of Christ, 4 Post Office Square Plymouth, NH.
In lieu of flowers the family suggests contributions may be made to the North Country Chamber Players, P.O. Box 865 Franconia, NH 03580 or Community Care Givers, P.O. Box 78, Center Harbor, NH 03226
Wilkinson-Beane-Simoneau-Paquette Funeral Home & Cremation Services, 164 Pleasant Street, Laconia, NH is assisting the family. For more information and to view an on line memorial go to www.wilkinsonbeane.com.