Florence Evelyn Miller

Florence “Honey” Evelyn Warner Palmer Miller died early morning August 6, 2013. The granddaughter of pioneers, her parents Herbert Warner and Florence Cook Warner, welcomed her to the world in a log cabin on Plum Lake in Vilas County, Wisconsin on October 5th, 1922. She had what she called a “perfect childhood” in the north woods living at her grandparents’ Forest Home Resort during the summers.

After graduating from Eagle River High School she attended Ripon College on scholarship where she met her first husband, Harold Roy Palmer of Embarrass, Wisconsin. When he graduated and entered the Army during WWII, she traveled with him to the state of Washington where she gave birth to her first son, Scott. Upon his return they lived throughout the mid-west, settling in Milwaukee where four more children were born.

Harold died in 1960 leaving her with four dependents and a son in the Navy. She enrolled at UWM where she earned a BA and her teaching license. She later earned Masters Degree from UWM. She taught in the Menomonee Falls School System as an English teacher for 25 years. She endowed her children and grandchildren with a love of reading, an appreciation of the beauty and wonder of nature, a generous and courteous approach to others, and the ability to face difficulties with humor, courage and endurance.

She met and married her second husband, Willard “Bill” Miller in 1965 and became stepmother to his two children. With Bill as her companion she began many adventures. She had always wanted to travel down the major rivers of the world. The two of them sailed the Yangtze, the Danube, the Thames, the Nile, the Volga and the Amazon and toured through most of Europe and the Americas as well as Africa and Asia. They returned with stories, pictures and many gifts.

Their retirement years were spent back in the beauty of the Wisconsin north woods where she fought valiantly with the deer to have a flower garden, read from her extensive library, extended hospitality to all her family, and delighted in the beauty. They lived in St. Germain for more than 20 years when Alzheimer’s made a move to Milwaukee necessary. Her last months were spent in Trinity Village with Bill.

Her parents, her brother Herb Warner, her sister Camille Bandow, her oldest son Scott, and her youngest child, Melissa, preceded her in death. She is survived by her husband Bill Miller, children Neil (Jill Varick) Palmer, Camille (Bill) Banks, and Keith Palmer, Marilyn (Bruce) Linde, and Rick (Barb) Miller. She is further survived by grandchildren, Robbie Palmer, Shannon Palmer, Bruce Palmer, Bert Palmer, Joel Banks, Graham Banks, Anna Banks, Riley Banks, Lydia Banks, Mary Claire Banks, Kelsey Palmer, Alex Palmer, Claire Palmer, Nicholas Last, Caitlin Last, Tyler Miller, Katie Anderson, Megan Linde and Laura Turnes as well as 19 great-grandchildren, brother-in-law Dick Bandow, sister-in-law Pat Warner, nieces and nephews.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in her honor may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association (620 S. 76th St. Ste. 160 Milwaukee, WI 53214) or to the library of your choice.

Private family services were held.

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