Velvo Mayre (Lucas) Miller, age 101, passed away Nov. 2, 2015. She was delivered by a country doctor on Nov. 4, 1913 in Lentner, Mo., in her paternal grandparent’s house.
She passed away peacefully two days before she would have been 102 in Cheney. Her brother V.H. (Bus) Lucas and her parents John Wesley Lucas and Harriet Elizabeth Collins Lucas Pullen preceded her in death.
Velvo grew up in Pendleton, Ore., and attended Oregon State University for two years before switching to the University of Oregon where she earned an English degree. She did graduate work in journalism at UCLA.
From the time she was young, women’s issues were close to her heart. She was very proud of the fact that she was a life-long Democrat. Many hours were spent volunteering for causes important to her.
Velvo met her future husband on a blind date. She and Richard Felix Miller, who preceded her in death in 1998, began their marriage of 61 years in Manhattan, N.Y., where Dick got his masters at Columbia University. They enjoyed traveling and lived for brief periods in Guadalajara, Mexico, and Florence, Italy, as well as several cities in the U.S.
Velvo has two daughters Marcia Kay Magnuson (John) and Mary Ingrid Everson (Ken); a son Nicholas Fernizzi Miller (Alicia); grandchildren, Chip Magnuson, Christina Magnuson, Eric Everson, Angela Everson and Ali (Everson) Selvik; great-grandchildren Will, Ian and Anna Everson and Fiona Selvik; nieces JoAnne (Lucas) Minetti and Janet (Lucas) Prendergast. She also loved Mary Allestad and Esther Thompson for the loving care and companionship they gave to her in her later years.
Velvo enjoyed being active in the Cheney community where she had many wonderful friends. She was a loyal and active member of Beta Sigma Phi and Dia Konia. She was also a member of the Alpha Chi Omega sorority. Many of her fondest memories were of the times she spent golfing with her “Dirty Dozen” friends and going out with her friends in the “Lunch Bunch.”
We remember Velvo with love for her sharp wit, her humor and her “Joie De Vivre”…Love of Life. She never lost her love of prose and songs, she could be heard singing her favorites up until the end. Please make donations in Velvo’s name to the charity of your choice. A celebration of life will be held in the spring.
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