Doris Miller

Mrs. Doris Anne Walker Miller, 91, of Winston-Salem, passed away on Wednesday, October 17, 2018, at Arbor Acres Retirement Community.  Mrs. Miller was born August 1, 1927 in Lynchburg, Virginia. She was the only child of the late Ernest Larken Walker and Martha Anne Moore Walker.  She attended school in Lynchburg and Concord, and graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School in Portsmouth, Virginia. A lifelong learner, she took classes at Virginia Commonwealth University, Mary Baldwin College, and Virginia Tech.  In 1946 she married Robert Louis Miller, of Amherst, VA and they were married for 69 years. Through this union, she gained five sisters and six brothers, the large family she craved as a child. The Miller family embraced her completely, and she loved them all dearly.  The newlyweds lived briefly in Portsmouth, VA, followed by a move to Blacksburg, VA for Robert to attend Virginia Tech.  Following graduation, they made Richmond their home for 12 years. While there she served as the Headmistress of Buford Academy, a pioneering school for children with learning disabilities. In 1967 they relocated to Waynesboro, VA where they lived until 2006. Doris Anne taught in public and private schools in Portsmouth, Altavista, Richmond, Blacksburg and Waynesboro, VA. In addition to her career as an educator, Doris Anne worked on programs and advocacy for Virginia’s senior population. In 1970 she conducted a survey for the Virginia Office on Aging to assess the needs of the elderly in Augusta County. This resulted in the creation of Valley Programs for Aging Services. VPAS created 16 senior centers providing meals, transportation, home health and other services. Doris Anne served as the Executive Director of that program for seven years. She also served on the Governor’s Council for Aging and was President of the Virginia Association on Aging. She was selected as Waynesboro’s Outstanding Woman of the Year in 1970, during her tenure as the president of the Waynesboro-East Augusta Mental Health Association.  Her final role was President and Executive Director of The Consultation and Learning Center. The CLC, which she co-founded, provided workshops on topics such as pre-retirement, stress management, assertiveness training; and created a training program for displaced homemakers and other women needing to enter or re-enter the workforce.  She was a talented artist, a hobby she enjoyed throughout her life. Doris Anne was a member of the Beverly Street Studios in Stanton, VA and of the Arts Club in Waynesboro. She participated in painting trips to Ghost Ranch, New Mexico, and a three-week trip through Tuscany. Doris Anne loved to entertain and was a wonderful cook. She always had a beautiful arrangement of fresh flowers from her garden and smile waiting to greet her guests. In 2006, Bob and Doris Anne left their Virginia roots to move to the Arbor Acres Retirement Community in Winston-Salem, NC to be closer to their daughter and her family. They enjoyed exploring a new city, making new friends, and especially spending more time with family. She even took up sculpting while in her 80’s.  In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her son, Robert L. Miller, Jr. and her husband, Robert L. Miller.  Doris Anne is survived by her daughter, Amy Miller Egleston and son-in-law, Robert of Winston-Salem. Also surviving are her beloved grandchildren, Anna Egleston of Milwaukee, WI, Larken Egleston and wife, Lauren of Charlotte, NC and many devoted and much-loved nieces and nephews.  A service to celebrate Doris Anne’s life will be held at 2:30 pm on Sunday, October 28, 2018, in Piner Hall at Arbor Acres.  A reception will follow the service in the Arbor Room of Arbor Acres.  The family would like to thank the wonderful staff members at Arbor Acres for their loving and devoted care of Doris Anne over the past 12 years.  In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Resident Assistance Fund at Arbor Acres, 1240 Arbor Rd., Winston-Salem, NC 27104.  Hayworth-Miller Silas Creek Chapel is assisting the family of Mrs. Miller.