Shirley Ann Miller

Shirley Ann (Jarish) Miller, 83, passed away peacefully on April 10, 2023. Shirley was born on April 19, 1939, in Hartford, CT to Stella (Kula) and Alexander Jarish. She grew up in Hartford and graduated from Buckley High School in 1957. Shirley lived in Windsor for 50 years before relocating to Gainesville, VA in 2009. She worked as a substitute special education teacher’s assistant in the Windsor school system before going to work at Cigna, where she remained until her retirement in 1996. Shirley married Thomas Richard Miller in 1962 and they had two daughters Catherine and Caroline. Thomas passed away in 1982 and Shirley never remarried but raised her daughters from that point forward as a single mother. She was extremely devoted to her family, caring for her mother until she passed away in 1999. In 2003 Shirley moved in with her daughter Caroline, her husband and their two children. She continued to live with them after they moved to Virginia and remained with them until her passing. Shirley was a huge fan of New England sports teams. She was a life-long Red Sox fan, a Patriots fan, a Whalers fan and loved UConn basketball, especially the UConn Women. She was a voracious reader, loved shopping and enjoyed going to wineries with her family and friends. She loved spending holidays with family and friends, and especially Christmas because she enjoyed giving gifts to the people she cared about. She was an avid fan of Walt Disney World and loved traveling there with her daughters and their families. She also enjoyed going to Las Vegas and traveled there as recently as the fall of 2021. Shirley was predeceased by her parents: Stella (Kula) Jarish, Alexander Jarish; her sister Caroline Jarish and her husband Thomas Miller. She leaves behind two daughters: Catherine Byrum and her husband Jeffrey Byrum; and Caroline Cole and her husband Richard Cole, as well as two grandchildren: Brittany Cole and her fiancé Brad Nowak; and Richard “Tommy” Cole Jr and his partner Sarah Hughes, and countless cousins; friends; and “adopted” family members. A Celebration of Life Service will be held Sunday April 30th at 11am at Pierce Funeral Home,9609 Center St, Manassas, VA 20110. Anyone wishing to share memories during the service is encouraged to do so. A service and burial will be in Windsor, CT in the summer of 2023, notification will go out for those who wish to attend.

Shirley Ann Miller

April 19, 1939 - April 10, 2023