Ellen Miller

Madison - Ellen "Ellie" J. Miller of Madison died on Sunday, January 31, 2016, from end-stage kidney disease and diabetes. She was born on February 6, 1951 during one of the coldest and snowiest winters on record. Her father had the snowplow driver from the county garage on call to plow out their farm's driveway so they could make it to the hospital on time. Her mother nicknamed her "Ginger" because of Ellie's spitfire personality.

She grew up on a farm near Sun Prairie, helping her family with the chores. She never tired of telling her big city friends about the cows she showed at the fair and the piles of manure she shoveled. When she was 10, she was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes. To give her something positive to focus on, her parents bought her a piano and paid for lessons. Music became a great passion for several years. She performed in a televised recital, sang in state solo competitions and was the soloist at several weddings. She graduated high school in 1969, having participated in Concert Choir and Madrigal Singers. Along with her siblings and friends, she was an active member of the Happy Hikers 4-H club.

After a brief stint at the University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire, she moved to Madison and held a variety of jobs in health care. When she worked as a nursing assistant at a nursing home, many patients loved her sassiness. She completed the surgical technician program in 1979 from Madison Area Technical College, and then moved to Chicago, Illinois for employment in a plastic surgery clinic. Again, patients loved her no-nonsense attitude and her big-hearted care, especially for burn victims whom she sat with through the long nights of healing. When she felt a need to move on, she began a career in retail, selling women's designer sportswear at Marshall Field's flagship store in downtown Chicago, then personal shopping at Saks Fifth Avenue and selling women's coats at Bloomingdale's. Anyone who met her could immediately see her great style and sharp eye for fashion. She applied this same style to all the apartments she lived in, creating rooms worthy of a magazine spread. She loved everything about Chicago - the architecture, the great restaurants and festivals, and the energy of the city. Ellie's life was greatly enriched by her longtime dear Chicago friends, Howard Goodman and Carol Oldberg.

Life changes and declining health caused her to return to the Madison area in 2003. She fought hard to retain her independence and not let illness get in her way. She made friends with people of all walks of life and was open and compassionate toward all. We know she touched many people with her feisty spirit.

Ellie is survived by brothers, Ronald (Jane) and Robert (Patricia) Miller; sisters, Gail Louise (James) Auerbach, Luanne (Michael) Devere, and Christine (Russell) Melland; along with nephews, Shawn (Katie) Miller, Patrick and Joshua Miller, Benjamin Auerbach and Timothy Melland and nieces, Rebecca (Joel) Tietge, Shannon Doll, Amanda (Gary) Fisher and Meredith Melland, plus four great-nieces and two great-nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Richard and Janet Miller of Sun Prairie, maternal grandparents, John and Alice Walbridge of Madison and paternal grandparents, Jacob and Henrikka Miller of Sun Prairie.

A memorial service will be held at CRESS FUNERAL HOME, 1310 Emerald Terrace, Sun Prairie, on Saturday, March 12, 2016 at 12:00 noon. A visitation will be held at the funeral home on Saturday from 10:30 a.m. until the time of service.

Donations in Ellie's memory can be made to the American Diabetes Association, the American Kidney Foundation or NAMI Dane County.

Her family wishes to thank the many caregivers and health providers who worked with Ellie over the years, with deep appreciation to Dr. Greta Kuphal and staff at UW-Health Arboretum Family Medicine Clinic, Dr. Tripti Singh and the staff at Wisconsin Dialysis and the entire staff at Karmenta Care Center who filled her last days with such loving and tender care.

Cress Funeral & Cremation Services
1310 Emerald Terrace Sun Prairie
(608) 837-9054