Lynn's Story

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Early Years

Lynn Elizabeth Miller Nichols was born on June 15, 1955 in South Bend, Indiana, the third child and only daughter of Alexis Thielens Miller and Carolyn Plasman Miller. Lynn is survived by husband Joe, daughter Elizabeth, son Eric, and brothers Scott Miller, of Arlington, VA, and Ross Miller, of Bernardsville, NJ. When Lynn was an infant, the family moved to Fox Point, a northern suburb of Milwaukee not far from Lake Michigan. She adored the family basset hound, Sam, her bunnies, riding horses at summer camp in Wyoming, her bike, Doctors Park, and the house on Allen Lane where she lived.

Growing Up

Lynn and her brothers attended University School Milwaukee where she was a cheerleader and played field hockey. She graduated high school in 1973 and went on to DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana. She joined Pi Beta Phi sorority, played field hockey, and decided to study nursing. Lynn received her BSN in 1977 and worked as a floor nurse in Indianapolis for a few years before feeling the itch to move somewhere new. Lynn loaded up her 1970 Caprice convertible and took off for Phoenix with her dog in 1981.

Life in Phoenix

Lynn was an operating room circulating nurse and soon came to call Good Samaritan hospital in downtown Phoenix her home. She was known for being the operating room staff social coordinator, and enjoyed biking, playing co-ed soccer, and exploring the Arizona outdoors in her spare time. Havasupai in particular was one of her favorite places to visit. Like everyone else in Arizona in the 80s, she was also a realtor on the side. Her mother, brothers, and sister-in-law, Pascale, came to visit often, and Lynn loved spending time with her niece Stephanie and nephew Alexis.

Building a Life Together

Lynn and Joe met in 1989, with masks-on in the Good Samaritan operating room. Joe was a resident from the University of Arizona medical school in Tucson, spending a couple months at Good Samaritan in Phoenix. They continued their relationship long distance for a couple years, until Joe accepted a job offer and moved up to Phoenix in the fall of 1991. A few months later during holidays, Joe proposed and Lynn said yes. They were married at the Arizona Biltmore in May 1992. The following spring, the big announcement came. Elizabeth was due in early January ‘94. After the first of many remodels, Joe and Lynn moved into their current home in December ‘93, and Elizabeth was born ahead of schedule a few weeks later on the 26th. Lynn was determined that Elizabeth should have a sibling, and Eric was born in May 1999.

Raising a Family

Lynn loved to share special parts of her own childhood with her kids, like summer camp, piano lessons, scouting, road trips, and family pets. The four dogs we had over the years (Henry, Rocky, Cloe and Brady) were and are cherished members of the family. She always played her Broadway show tunes in the car and frequented Disneyland with the kids during spring breaks. She was a Girl Scout leader, quick to volunteer to chaperone school activities, and faithfully attended all the kids’ games.

In Her Memory

In late 2009, Lynn was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. She faced this knowledge with courage, calm, and dignity. She transitioned into an assisted living facility in fall of 2013, where she was comfortable and content until her passing. Lynn will be remembered by her family for her stubborn optimism, generosity, independence, love for her adopted desert home, and passion for bringing people together.

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Do you have photos of Lynn? We would love to see them! Please send any photos or videos to remembering.lynn55@gmail.com and let us know in your email if you would like your photos to be posted online for others to see. Gmail users, you can also directly upload any photos to our public album here.

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