Obituary of Vivian S. Miller

Vivian Seena Miller of Newtown, Connecticut, died on Tuesday, May 2, in Danbury, Connecticut. Her brother, sons, daughters, grandchildren, and great grandchildren came to be with her through her short illness. She was born on July 28, 1929, in Brooklyn, New York, to Harold and Cecilia Berger. Vivian most recently also lived in Orange, Connecticut, for three years. She and her husband of 71 years, Irwin J. Miller, also deceased, raised their four children in Stamford, Connecticut.

 Vivian is survived by a brother Joel Berger of Pennsylvania, two sons and two daughters, Arthur Miller (Lauren) Miller of Newtown, Glenn (Sandra) Miller of Pennsylvania, Laura Lewis of Shelton, and Barbara (Elon) Mileikowsky of Stamford. She had 10 grandchildren: Sam Miller and Will Miller of Newtown; Michael Lewis and Courtney Lewis (Mike) Hessberger; Ashley Miller, Brittany Miller, and Demi Miller; Adam (Jennifer) Mileikowsky, Joshua (Andrea) Mileikowsky, and Ari Mileikowsky. Vivian also had seven great grandchildren: Declan, Grady, LilyAnn, Zoey, Sloane, Spencer, and Olivia.

In addition to her husband, Vivian was predeceased by her mother and father, her brother Alan Berger, sister Gloria Nachtigall, and son-in-law Frank Lewis.

Vivian graduated from New Utrecht High School in 1946. She had skipped two years of school, so she graduated when she was 16 years old. She entered Brooklyn College, but then had to leave before graduating as she and her husband moved to Washington, D.C.  They moved several times. About a year later, they moved to Pittsfield, Massachusetts. Then they returned to New York City.  But eventually, they moved to Hicksville, New York, to live. In 1960, Vivian, Irwin, and their young family relocated to Stamford, Connecticut.  With the family settled, Vivian moved in with her mother-in-law in Brooklyn one summer to complete her college degree from Brooklyn College. Later, she completed a six-year certificate and went on to earn a Master’s degree from Fairfield University. 

She became an elementary school teacher and taught at Northeast School and then Springdale Elementary School, both in Stamford. She also was a reading consultant. Vivian taught from 1964 through 1992.  Vivian also taught Hebrew School at Temple Beth El in Stamford for several years.  For many years, she was the archivist at the Fairfield County Jewish Historical Society. 

Vivian loved being around family and friends, and enjoyed entertaining. Her homecooked specialties included brisket and cranberry meatballs. She and Irwin loved history, and took their children, and eventually their grandchildren, on historical trips to Washington, D.C., Gettysburg, other Civil War battlefields, and Colonial Williamsburg. Originally a Brooklyn Dodgers fan, she became a devoted New York Mets fan, often staying up late into the night to watch West Coast games. She was wonderful in the garden, growing yellow irises, pachysandra, phlox, and pink cone flowers. Vivian also had a great love of reading. Her favorite author was Nora Roberts. She had many friends, but her longest friendship was with Shirley Harris Shapiro of Florida whom she met on the first day of college.

Funeral services will be held on Sunday, May 7, at 11:00 a.m. at Beth David Cemetery in Elmont, New York. A Memorial Service is being planned for later in the month.

Shiva will be held on Sunday, May 7, from 5-8 p.m. at Courtney and Mike Hessberger’s home.  

On Monday, May 8, at 8:00 p.m., Shiva also will be held at Arthur and Lauren Miller’s home in Newtown.

Memorial donations may be made to the Fairfield County Jewish Historical Society or to Maplewood Senior Living HEART Foundation. Vivian and her family have great appreciation to the staff and residents at Maplewood at Newtown, where Vivian lived since August 2022.