Syrilda Ann Miller, age 79 years, of East Amwell Township, Hunterdon County, NJ, died peacefully surrounded by her cherished family on Sunday, November 17, 2024, at Sunrise Senior Living of Bridgewater, Bridgewater, NJ.

Syrilda was born in Coffeyville, Kansas. She was preceded in death by her mother, Jean Clemment Evans (Shirley Jean) also of Coffeyville, KS, her father, Charles Hughes of Hemet, CA, and her stepfather, Garland Tabor of Coffeyville, KS.

Syrilda is survived by her loving husband of 57 years, Charles T. Miller of Ringoes, NJ; sister, Yvonne (Harry D.) Gatsch of Humboldt, TN; children, Charles Ryan (Jennifer) Miller of Jersey City, NJ, and Jonathan (Sami) Jarrah of New York, NY; grandson, Miller “Mill” Jarrah of New York, NY; sister-in-law, Leanne Miller Glenn (Bobby); a niece, Donna; grand nieces and nephews, all of Kansas, MO, along with many dear friends.

 A Life to be remembered and celebrated: This is a narrative of the life of a Wife, Mother, Grandmother and Teacher as told by her husband, Charles Miller.

 Syrilda ‘s life is a story of blossoming and transitions.

She went to high school and junior college in Coffeyville, KS, where she excelled as a math scholar in classes where she was almost always the only female student. With an intelligence and a beauty that was not always appreciated, she persevered, creating a path for herself as a woman in STEM. From a very early age she knew she wanted to be a teacher. She was a teacher’s pet, a star student and even a tutor for her peers in high school.

 Her junior year she went to Kansas State College, in Pittsburg, KS where she earned her BS and MS in Math and Math Education. Later, she also studied at NYU and Tufts.

The second week of classes at Kansas State, she met Charles at a college mixer. They spent most of the evening together and, to her surprise, two weeks later Charles proposed. They were married in 1967 and began a startling new life together that stretched over the next 60 years.

In the first 5 years of marriage, they moved frequently: Syrilda had five different jobs in five different places. Living in rural Kansas, Nevada, Missouri, New York City, and then to their final home state of New Jersey. First living at the Jersey Shore (thank you Uncle Sam), then East central, NJ, for 14 years and then FINALLY their beloved Victorian home in Ringoes, NJ, where they have resided for over 40 years.

 WIFE AND MOTHER

As her world became bigger and she left her naysayers behind, Syrilda blossomed into a confident, beautiful, sophisticated woman who moved gracefully in all circles. She could talk (oh could she talk!) with anyone from the building custodian to the State Governor, all of whom fell immediately in love with her charm and wit. She dressed with elegance, always having exactly the right thing to wear to be noticed but not stand out, and even knew how to put on a hat just so (with a little help from Charles and his mother).

Being perfectionists, Charles and Syrilda waited 12 years before they had their first son Ryan, then waited another 4 years to welcome Jonathan into the world.

Becoming a mother was another transition for her as she helped her children to grow up and become strong individuals. She gave them the guidance of a teacher while also allowing them to spread their wings and find their own bigger world just as she had. While she was dedicated to them, she never forgot to live her own life as well.

In February 2024, she welcomed her grandson, Mill, who decided to show up 8 weeks early just to get a little more time with Grandma. He loved being held by her and they brought each other pleasure and joy whenever they were together.

 TEACHER

For Syrilda, being a teacher was a true calling and her life’s work. She shared a love of learning in many roles, first as a tutor and grad assistant, then leading classrooms herself at colleges, high schools and even a short stint in middle school. She primarily taught upper-level math, taking on the challenges of each student to help them grow to their full potential.

Over the years she developed a special approach to learning and study which gave students the confidence to work independently, double check what they knew, and personalize what they needed to work on. For one course, she created a radical new classroom program that used math and knot tying formulas to create works of fractal art. This gave art students a new way to discover the hidden beauty within mathematics. This interdisciplinary approach was found to be so impactful in teaching math that Syrilda was asked to publish her findings in “The Mathematics Teacher”, the leading national academic publication for her field.

At South Hunterdon High School, where she spent the bulk of her career, she was known as “The Math Teacher,” even though there was a full faculty in the math department. She had a number of former students that followed her lead and became teachers. Right up until the end of her life, Syrilda was regularly sought out by her former students so they could tell her what an impact she made on them professionally and personally.

After retiring, Syrilda continued part-time as a question writer for several national testing programs including the SAT.

TRAVELER

As a child she traveled around with her parents to see much of the country and continued to do so with Charles as they moved, but she didn’t really think about traveling beyond the US. Just before retiring, she was asked to chaperone a trip to France with a group of South Hunterdon students. The travel bug bit her and for the next 15 years she and Charles traveled the globe visiting France, Spain, Eastern Europe, Iceland, Ireland, Aruba, and many places in the States as well.

FOREVER LEARNER

She had a hunger for knowledge and was always seeking more information. She loved learning about the world and was an avid reader, devouring books (if she was reading, forget talking to her, she wouldn’t hear a word). She was an accomplished gardener and had a show garden in her yard. She studied historical Victorian to ensure the decorating of her home was correct to the period.  She enjoyed arts of all kinds – theater, dance, sculpture and of course Charles’ photography.

LATER LIFE

In recent years she unfortunately began to lose much of what she loved and knew from her life. She developed PCA, a rare form of dementia that took away much of her cognitive abilities (including math and communication) and then finally her physical skills as well. It was slow, progressive, and frustrating for her because she understood what was happening and what was to come. She has now been released from those ever-tightening bonds. We can celebrate her return to being the beautiful hummingbird, going wherever she wants to go and reveling in the things that brought her joy.

Join me in shedding a tear, saying a prayer, and rejoicing a life well lived that continues for her through her family and her spirit.

Family and friends will gather on Wednesday, December 4, 2024, from 4:00-5:30 p.m. in the Chapel of Wright & Ford Family Funeral Home, 38 State Highway 31, Flemington, NJ.

A Life Celebration Service will take place at the gathering beginning at 5:30 p.m., and to which all are welcome.

You are encouraged to visit Syrilda’s permanent life celebration site at www.wrightfamily.com to light a candle of hope, leave messages of condolence, share words of comfort and recollection, and post photographs of her life.

In lieu of flowers, a Scholarship in Syrilda’s name has been created at South Hunterdon Regional High School. Checks may be made payable to South Hunterdon Regional HS with “For Syrilda Miller Scholarship” written in the memo.  They may be mailed to South Hunterdon Regional HS, ATTN: Business Office, 301 Mt Airy-Harbourton Rd., Lambertville, NJ 08530.

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Wright & Ford, your local, family owned & operated “Life Celebration Home”

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