Mary Dorn Miller
Mary Dorn Miller passed away at age 97 on April 28, 2023, at the White Horse Village
retirement community in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania where she lived with her husband of 75
years, the late Peter Lukens Miller. She is survived by their five children, Peter L. Miller, Jr.
(Susan) of Eastham MA, Steven D. Miller (Joan) of Concordville PA, Richard D. Miller (Jacki)
of Swarthmore PA, David L. Miller (Gene) of Wayland MA, and Cynthia (Miller) Ozirsky
(Timothy) of Andover MA; twelve grandchildren, and three great grandchildren. She dearly
loved each of them and will be greatly missed.

Mary was born September 24, 1925 to Nora Flynn Dorn and Lewis Cleveland Dorn and was the
younger sister of Robert Louis Dorn and Patricia Dorn Mitchell. She grew up in Glenside PA
and graduated from high school in Abington PA. She loved time with her siblings and the social
life at school, movies and dances.

Just after graduation, Mary and Pete met at a church-sponsored dance. Pete was assigned to the
Naval Air Station in Willow Grove PA at the time. Mary honed her secretarial skills while
working at Proctor and Schwartz Inc. in Philadelphia, supporting their WWII production effort.

Mary and Pete were married on May 25, 1946, and moved to Swarthmore where Pete had grown
up. Pete went to work as an engineer for his father's company. When their first child arrived,
Pete and Mary moved to Springfield PA and paid the budget-busting sum of $11,990 for a new
house. In 1955, having outgrown that house, they moved to a new home in Marple Township. In
1970, after resisting the Blue Route taking their property, they moved to Nether Providence PA.
Mary always valued keeping each of her homes tidy and welcoming.

Being a mother was Mary's top priority. Mary always encouraged her children to pursue their
talents and passions. She kept her young rambunctious brood busy, playing in the
neighborhood, swimming in the backyard, playing team sports and golf, having parties, taking
trips with family friends to the NJ shore and skiing and swimming near the their Vermont home.
Mary's pets were also a dear part of her family. She particularly loved her dogs and raising litters
of puppies as well as her childhood duck Quacky, the football team mascot. Mary passed on her
strong sense of faith by actively involving her children in Sunday school and hosted fun youth
group gatherings. She was a role model as well, always active at church as a teacher or volunteer.
In her later years she was honored to be a deacon.

Mary loved her nieces, nephews, grandchildren and great grandchildren, her friends' children
and took many of her children's friends under her wing. She enjoyed hosting many fun family
dinners and holiday gatherings, always feeling like the more the merrier. She also loved visiting,
talking and emailing with all. Vermont was a special place for gatherings, especially with the
three families that settled in Boston.

Mary and Pete enjoyed getting together with their many friends from Pennsylvania, Vermont and
friendships that had blossomed from their travels. They frequently had dinner parties and played
duplicate bridge with three couples who were Mary's high school classmates. Their families
shared annual picnics and trips to the New Jersey shore. In 1962, during a ski trip to Magic
Mountain, Vermont they got back in touch with the beloved area where Pete had spent his
childhood summers. By 1967 they had built a house near Elfin Lake in Wallingford on land the
boys helped clear. Pete enjoyed finishing the house during vacations over the years while Mary
made it into a family treasure. They loved their friends at Highland Beach and after retiring, they
spent over twenty five summers there, especially enjoying the conversations and laughter during
Fridays at Five.

Mary was always busy in the community and volunteered at Crozer Chester Medical Center,
starting a program to test for and treat high blood pressure as well as helping with
fundraisers. She also enjoyed teaching an elementary school ecology course. She played golf
regularly with the women's group at Rolling Green Golf Club and with the Hit or Miss group,
favoring the social component more than her scores.

After her children were out of the house, Mary took several courses at Widener University. She
enjoyed her writing, and produced many papers on the stories of her life. She later wrote a book
about her family history and the trials of son Steve's life-threatening college soccer accident. Her
children were very proud of her academic strivings and when she turned 90, they gave her a
graduation ceremony from the University of Life, with a major in Organizational Management,
and minors in Psychology and Diet and Exercise.

Mary and Pete loved to travel, enjoying many wonder-filled trips throughout the world. After a
business conference in Hawaii, they bought a timeshare in Hanalei, Kauai and enjoyed the
community there over the decades after retirement.

Mary was a prolific and talented knitter and needle pointer. She knit whenever she sat, creating
prayer shawls, sweaters, baby blankets and family Christmas stockings. She valued her mother's
sewing skills and creative use of fabric scraps during the Depression years. A mama from the
start, she loved her doll made from those scraps and kept it near her all her life.

Mary will be laid to rest in a private service at the Upper Dublin Friends Meeting in Ambler, PA.
A memorial service will be planned later.

Memorial donations to Swarthmore Presbyterians are welcome.

Arrangements provided by Rigby Harting & Hagan Funeral Home  15 E. 4th Street Media, PA 19063

www.haganfuneralhome.com