Janet Miller

November 29, 1941 - July 22, 2021
On Thursday, July 22, Janet passed peacefully into the presence of her Lord and Savior while residing in her hometown in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia.
In her early twenties, Janet moved to Burnaby, B.C. where she met her husband, Gunnar. They were married in 1971 and shortly after moved to Pitt Meadows before settling in Maple Ridge. Janet was actively involved in Gunnar's business, Eastgate Autobody (now Kirmac Collision).
After Gunnar's death in 2017, Janet moved back to Yarmouth where her sister Linda lives.
Actively involved in the Maple Ridge community, Janet served her Lord as a long- standing member of the Maple Ridge Hospital Auxiliary, both as a one-time president and a faithful volunteer. Janet's hobbies included needlework, tatting, petit point, crocheting and knitting. The hospital gift shop was the beneficiary of her talent with knitting needles, receiving numerous pairs of booties as well as sweater sets for newborns which were sold to raise funds for the hospital.
Janet was passionate about her faith and was an active member of Maple Ridge Baptist Church as pianist and organist for several musical groups. Besides the piano, Janet also played a host of other instruments such as chimes, vibraphone, and tympani in the church's Singing Christmas Tree productions spearheaded by her good friend, violinist Lorraine Nelson.
These ladies blessed their church and the wider Maple Ridge community with several concerts and also entertained seniors. Janet and another good friend, Grace Robinson, MRBC's long-standing organist, also blessed the church in numerous performances, occasionally joined by Lorraine to provide a trio praising their Savior.
Janet loved southern gospel music and she accompanied The Garden Hill Boys Men's quartet who performed in MRBC and in several neighboring communities such as Abbotsford. Their last public performance was on the occasion of the church's 100th anniversary in 2012.
Although music and community service were prime focuses of her life, Janet also cared for seniors. She led the church's ministry to seniors for several years, hosting monthly meetings at which seniors were fed, entertained, and provided with valuable information from community leaders such as the MR fire chief and the local hardware store owner. A highlight of the seniors' season was the annual strawberry tea, held at the church or, occasionally, in Janet's beautiful spacious garden.
In addition to her musical talent and love for seniors, Janet was a kind, generous, fun-loving person who enjoyed an active social life, particularly with like-minded music lovers at regular music nights and other events.
Janet is survived by her sister, Linda Rose, in Yarmouth, and brother-in-law, Arne Miller and his family in Denmark.
Janet will long be remembered and deeply missed by her church family and many friends here in Maple Ridge, as well as in Nova Scotia.
The aforementioned Garden Hill Boys quartet, accompanied by a former piano student (another of Janet's gifts), will once again bless the church at the celebration of Janet's life to be held at Maple Ridge Baptist Church on Tuesday August 24, 2021 at 2 pm.
"Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his faithful servants." Psalm 116:15 (NIV).