Corinne Maloney Miller, 88, passed away October 20, 2021, in Collegeville, Pennsylvania.
On March 28, 1933 in a farmhouse in Ridgway, Illinois, Corinne was born the fourth of seven children of Daniel Joseph Maloney and Margaret Rose Luckett. She attended a small country school (Daily School), a boarding school (St. Vincent Academy in Waverly, Kentucky), and Ridgway High School, graduating valedictorian in 1951. Corinne began college at St. Mary-of-the-Woods in Terre Haute, Indiana and graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, with a bachelor’s degree in 1955 and a master’s degree in 1958, both in home economics. Corinne taught middle and high school home economics for several years.
At the University of Illinois, Corinne met Theodore (“Ted”) Charles Miller, who was a graduate student in chemistry. They met at a St. Patrick’s Day party in 1958 and were married in 1959 in Ridgway. They settled in East Greenbush, New York, near Ted’s home town of Troy. With Corinne’s home design expertise and construction help from Ted’s father, they built a home on a 14-acre farm property, where they raised three children. Corinne was the master-keeper of the home and family. She worked tirelessly at planting, harvesting, freezing, and canning vegetables, as well as sewing, knitting, baking, cooking, painting, snow shoveling, and caring for the children and Ted’s aging parents. Having grown up on a farm, Corinne’s way of life was “do-it-yourself,” long before that phrase became commonplace. Everything was handmade with skill and care, from draperies to dresses, sweet corn to cakes, and haircuts to hats. Corinne loved to be outdoors, whether working in the flower or vegetable garden, going for a walk or bike ride, swimming in the community pool, or sledding with the kids. Resting was not on Corinne’s agenda.
After the children were grown and Ted retired, Corinne and Ted decided to leave their 14-acre home and re-settle in Reston, Virginia, near their daughter and her family. Corinne continued to pursue her passion for gardening as chair of the landscape committee at their condominium. She also enjoyed walking, biking, and swimming and caring for her grandchildren. Corinne and Ted shared an interest in researching and documenting their family histories and visiting places where their ancestors lived, including Ireland and Germany. They also made many trips to visit relatives, most frequently to Ridgway and the Albany-Troy area. When their health declined, Corinne and Ted moved to a senior care facility near their son’s home. Corinne was a lifelong devout Catholic and put her faith into practice daily. Most recently, she and Ted were parishioners at Saint Thomas à Becket Catholic Church in Reston, Virginia. She was active in parish life, sewing bibs for infants receiving the sacrament of baptism.
Corinne is survived by her husband Ted; her sisters Mary Elizabeth Wargel (Charles) of Equality, Illinois and Frances Ann Traweek (John Anthony) of Tyler, Texas; three children, Timothy Mark Miller (Donna) of Phoenixville, Pennsylvania; Elizabeth Miller Roesel (Thomas) of Bozman, Maryland; and Joseph Daniel Miller (Katherine) of Elmhurst, Illinois; and five grandchildren, Emily Margaret Miller of Houston, Texas; Patrick Gaskell Miller of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Erica Corinne Roesel of Loveland, Ohio; Gretchen Elizabeth Roesel of Kannapolis, North Carolina; and Charles Joseph Miller of Champaign, Illinois.
Corinne’s life of faith and love will be celebrated at a funeral mass on Friday, October 29, 2021, at 11 am at Sacred Heart Church, 838 Walnut St., Royersford, Pennsylvania, with visitation beginning at 10 am at the church. For those unable to attend in person, a livestream and recorded video of the funeral mass will be accessible on Sacred Heart’s Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/sacredheartchurchroyersford.
Memorial donations in Corinne’s name may be made to Sacred Heart Church or St. Kateri Tekakwitha Parish, 220 S. Combs St., Ridgway, IL 62979.