Obituary of Sheena Miller

Sheena Miller (Jessie Sheena Miller; née McCulloch) was born in Dailly near Girvan, in Ayrshire, Scotland on October 28, 1929. Sheena passed away at Humber River Hospital, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on May 8, 2023, after suffering a stroke.

Sheena was the much-loved wife of Anthony Bernard Miller. Sheena and Anthony were married on October 18, 1952 in a church near the Little Boltons in London, England; they celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary in fall 2022.

Sheena was mother to Richard (Jane Wright), Naomi (William Geddie), Alison, Peter, Fiona (James Murphy), grandmother to Claire, Ruth, Philippa, Jocelyn, Hannah, Gillian, Graeme, Frances, Daisy, Olivia, Isabel, Sander and Reid, and great-grandmother to Elliot, Avery, Naomi, and Charlotte. She was daughter-in-law to Thomas and Elsie Miller (née Hamlet), the eldest daughter to Daniel and Jennifer McCulloch (née McCutcheon), and sister to Eric, June, Esme, Pamela, William, and Jennifer.

Sheena moved to Canada in September 1971, following Anthony after he accepted the opportunity to set up the National Cancer Institute of Canada Clinical Trials Program. Sheena and four of her children travelled on The Empress of Canada, on its second last ocean voyage, and moved to the Toronto area; Richard remained in the UK at the University of Cambridge.

Sheena was an intense and passionate person who lived life with strong feelings and strong emotions. She was a self-developed intellectual. Despite leaving school as a teenager, she had a thirst for English history and politics and would engage robustly and perceptively in dinner conversations on these topics. She was also a brilliant gardener, creating magnificent gardens in all her homes, in particular in her beautiful old house in Niagara-on-the-Lake. A talented and enthusiastic amateur interior designer, the interior of her homes matched the beauty of her external gardens.

Sheena was also a skilled artist, painting with oil and water colours and trying her hand at sculpture. She and Anthony lived in many parts of the world. After Anthony retired from the University of Toronto and took up international consultancies, they spent time in Virginia, USA; Heidelberg, Germany; Geneva, Switzerland and Lyon, France. Sheena was a particular fan of France and invested many hours in learning the language.

Sheena was a great sailor, responding with grace to her husband's passion for sailing. This included extensive sailing in Lake Ontario, a trans-Atlantic voyage, and navigation around the Mediterranean. Though she could sail with skill, what Sheena loved most was being in port, seeing new places, meeting people, and relishing the local cuisine.

Sheena was a personality to remember. Her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren are thankful for her spirit. She will be long remembered and celebrated.

Please share your memories, photos and sentiments of Sheena's life here at her memorial web page. To make memorial donations to the Nature Conservancy of Canada, please use the Donations tab on her home page. 

Uniquely entrusted to eco Cremation & Burial Services Inc.

-Modern Funerals-