Lillian "Bev" (Christiansen) Miller

August 24, 1931 - February 28, 2015

Lillian "Bev" (Christiansen) Miller Obituary Lillian "Bev" Miller left us to be with the Lord on the 28th of February 2015. Bev was born here in Spokane on August 24, 1931 to Jorgen and Emma Christiansen, the 7th of 9 children. It wasn't a particularly easy childhood coming so close after the great depression and Jorgen's passing when she was just 8. We all recall the stories of her hopes when heading to school of not having on the same dress as everyone else; a common occurrence with so many still on relief at that time and wearing the clothes made available for those in need. But those times taught many of that generation the value of the basic things of life and having to set aside a bit for just in case. Those of us today may not fully appreciate this. Paying the bills as they arrived and not just on the due date and paying extra when you could. These were things she showed her children. Bev started working at an early age, taking a job with the Porter family at their lake house on Coeur d'Alene, the summer she turned 15. The Porter family took great care of her as she took care of them, encouraging her to return to school in the fall. She attended Roger's High School that fall but did not complete the year and opted to return to service with the Porters full time as an upstairs maid, a job she kept for nearly 10 years until her marriage in 1955. Her time there was one of the bright points of her life. All of her children recall many nights sitting on the edge of the bed listening to her stories of that time. Often having to cut them short because Dad was almost home from his swing shift! Her time with the Porters, working with Effie and Leena in the beautiful home built by Kirtland Cutter for Louis Davenport, came to a close when she married her husband of 46 years, Martin Miller. On April 9, 1955 she embarked on a new period of her life. Introduced by relatives of each, who lived near each other. They fell in love and were married about a year later. After a few different houses they settled in a home in what was then Opportunity WA, now a part of the Spokane Valley. Bev and Martin had 3 children in the early years; Diane, a son who did not survive, and Connie. Followed later by an Easter surprise later in life, another son, Scott. Bev loved and raised all of her children with the best hugs in town. In 1983, when Martin retired, They moved to the hills out of Chewelah, WA and raised calves. An adjustment for someone born and raised in the city, Bev took it all in stride and kept on cleaning, exchanging the waxing of hardwood floors with the raking of pine needles and naming all the calves. There were many happy memories for her here as well. Watching the grandkids riding on the tractor and motorcycles and showing them how to blow soap bubbles on the tabletop with a straw. In the fall of 1997, with Martin's failing health, they decided it was time to leave the farm and return to Spokane. Choosing again the Spokane Valley as home. There were happy times and sad times. Watching her children's families grow. Grandkids getting out of school and starting their own families, and later the great-grandchildren starting to arrive. The loss of a husband. Loved ones moving away, and loved ones moving back. Trips to the park to watch the later arrivals play in the fall leaves and even some fun at the casino now and then. In 2004 after heart surgery, Bev was unable to continue on her own, as she had in the past. She entered a new period of life at Riverview Assisted Living and later Riverview Care Center. She found there, an addition to her family in all the staff and workers. They patiently assisted, encouraged and loved her as she declined with dementia. We, her first family, could not appreciate them more. They took over so many of the things that allowed us to enjoy the time we had left with her. They are appreciated because of their hard work and dedication, they became a part of Bev's family because of the love and care with which they accomplished it. From loving on her as they curled her hair, in cleaning her glasses, making sure she didn't go too long without some Daniel O'Donnell, to taking time to get a hug or take a stroll/roll hand-in-hand down the hall on a security round. Because of this, Bev was forever surrounded by family. As all times begin and end, Mom has ended her time at Riverview and with us. I believe she is whole and reunited with husband and family who have moved on before. It is they who will get to cherish her hugs and smiles now until we get to see her again. Bev is survived by her sister Janet, her daughters Diane and Connie, her son Scott, three grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.