Jane Dianne Miller

Jane Dianne Miller was born November 16, 1938 to Glen Harold Harman and Savilla Laura Craven in Lebanon, Oregon. She had a twin brother, Jimmy Dale Harman, a younger sister, Betty Jean, and a younger brother, Thomas Glen.

Jane began and attended elementary school in Siletz, Oregon and eventually moved to Toledo, Oregon where she attended junior high and high school, graduating from Toledo High School in 1956. Jane was always a good student and active in many student body activities. She was well respected, a hard worker, and devoted to doing her best in whatever task that was put before her. Her academic work earned her the title of Valedictorian of her class.

After high school, Jane went on to attend one year at the Oregon College of Education in Monmouth, Oregon and then began attending the Merritt Davis Business School, earning a degree in a program there.

Jane met the love of her life early. They were high school sweethearts whose first date was attending the homecoming dance at school in October 1954. They went on to marry in March of 1959. Jane and Ron made their first home in Toledo for two years and then came a series of moves for the young couple. First moving to Portland, Oregon in 1962 then Astoria, Oregon in 1964, Knappa, Oregon in 1967, and Svenson, Oregon in 1972. During this time Ron and Jane’s family continued to grow. While Ron taught school and coached, Jane delighted in being a mother and home maker. Together they were a real team. Additionally, Jane was a real fixture on the Knappa High School sidelines for many years during Logger football games, serving as the team’s statistician. She also did all the team laundry, provided players with haircuts, and taught them how to tie their neckties. As Jane learned, a coach’s wife wears many hats.

In 1978 when Ron and Jane’s youngest child was starting school, she too, began a new venture. She took a job at Hilda Lahti Elementary school as a teachers aide and later became the Head Secretary at the school until retiring in 1998. After retirement, Ron and Jane moved into a home they had built at River Point in Astoria.

Jane was a member of Astoria Christian Church and always found a way to contribute to her church family and her community at large. She was a longtime member of the Gideon’s Auxiliary, The Knappa Boosters, and served for many years in the Oregon Christian Endeavor organization.

Jane took a special interest in gardening, sewing and needlework. She was self-taught in all these skills. Her beautiful quilting projects have brought joy to her family and to many others.

Jane was preceded in death by her husband Ron (2018) and by her son Bruce Edward (2016). She is survived by her son Ronald James (Julie), daughter Laura Jane (Dan), daughter Carrie Joyce (Ken), son Timothy David (Heather), son Jeffrey Paul (Akiko), daughter-in-law Chris Miller (Bruce) and by her 27 grandchildren, 17 great-grandchildren, and numerous nieces and nephews.

Jane will always be remembered as a person who deeply loved God and her family. She has left a special mark on the hearts of all those who knew and loved her.

The family is planning a service to celebrate Jane’s life on Saturday, April 19, 2025, at 10:30 a.m. in the Hilda Lahti Elementary School cafeteria in Knappa, OR. Private family burial will follow at 1 p.m. at Knappa Prairie Cemetery.

Arrangements are being handled by Caldwell-Murphy Funeral Home in Astoria, Oregon.

There will be public viewing from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday, April 18, 2025 at Caldwell-Murphy Funeral Home.

Donations in Jane’s memory can be made to the Knappa School Foundation (Miller Family Scholarship Fund).