Linda Lee Miller

Linda ended her earthly journey on April 10th on her way to Fredericksburg, Texas, to check off one of the items on her Bucket List, to witness a total eclipse. She suffered a heart attack in route and died in Big Spring, Texas.

She was born in Toledo, Ohio, to parents Lin and Jenny Miller. When she was three years old Lin and Jenny relocated to NOTS, China Lake, where the family spent weekends camping in the Sierras, exploring old mining towns, boondocking, and water skiing in Lake Isabella. She spent her childhood in China Lake where she made life-long friends. As an adult, Ridgecrest was her home and, with a few brief exceptions, she lived the rest of her life right here.

Linda was one of the first grade school students in China Lake, attending school in a Quonset hut while the schools were being built on the Navy Base. She was in one of the first classes to graduate from Burroughs High School. She played her clarinet in the Burroughs HS marching band at the opening of Disneyland in 1955. She served at the Gate Keeper and Reunion Coordinator the Burroughs High School Class of 1961, "keeping the Class united as a living entity and as a permanent occupant of their mental landscape." She loved her friends, including many of whom she had known since grade school and maintained a connection with all her life. She was an efficient, thoughtful, and persuasive friend and real pal to all with whom she interfaced both socially and professionally.

As a young adult she worked as a lifeguard, a bartender and manager at a local beer bar/pool hall, The Cue Club; a travel agent for National Airlines; secretary for Sierra Pacific Industries; and a travel clerk for NOTS. With much grit and determination Linda returned to school where she graduated from Cal Poly with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics/Computer Sciences. She was hired as a Mathematician at NWC, China Lake. As a China Lake employee she became a software Designer and valued team member on the A-6 TRAM Project, where she was affectionately known as "A-6 Linda."

She was an active member in her community and gave generously of her time and energy. She was an early member of Steve Lee's Backyard Players, where she used her talents both on stage and behind the scenes. She would frequently be seen at the high school football games cheering on her favorite team, the Burros. Linda was fiercely patriotic. She supported the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and the USO (United Service Organization). She loved the desert in spite of its challenges and often acted as an unofficial tour guide to scenic highlights and points of interest for her friends and family.

She loved holidays, especially Halloween and Christmas. She was the witch extraordinaire complete with the warty nose who greeted (and probably scared) the neighborhood kids on Halloween with treats and cackles. She baked countless cookies and goodies at Christmas time and shared the bounty with everyone, mailing boxes and boxes of treats to far-off relatives and friends. She had a special gift for planning a party down to the last detail. She had a great sense of humor in good times and bad, and she loved a challenge. She did jigsaw puzzles at lightning speed, was a fervent Sudoku solver, and a wicked cribbage player.

Linda traveled frequently, both close to home and far and wide. She had a keen sense of adventure. She frequently traveled to San Francisco and Los Angeles to attend the opera, which she loved. She traveled to the northernmost settlement in the US, Barrow Alaska AKA The Gateway to the Arctic, where she traveled by dog sled. She visited family in Poland and drank rum in Jamaica. She went to Yellowstone National Park for a winter snowmobile tour. These were just some of her many adventures. Her bags were always packed.

The last few years Linda was besieged with health issues, the latest was the diagnosis of a severe case of Valley Fever. She is preceded in death by her parents, Lin and Jenny Miller. She is survived by her sister Karen, her beloved niece Annie Vandegrift, and grand-nieces Lily and Lucy.

Services for Linda will be held on Friday, June 7th at 10:00 AM at the Ridgecrest United Methodist Church, 639 N Norma St. Ridgecrest. Per Linda's request, interment will be at Desert Memorial Park.

Following the interment please join us for a reception in the Social Hall at Ridgecrest United Methodist Church.

In lieu of flowers, for those wishing to honor Linda's memory, please consider a donation to the Ridgecrest United Methodist Church, USO, VFW, Maturango Museum, China Lake Museum Foundation or a charitable organization of your choice.