Obituary of Shirley A. Miller

Shirley A. (D'Amato) Miller, former Upland GOP Leader, long-time Upland, PA, resident, born and raised in the city of Chester, PA, passed away surrounded by family on Sunday, February 17, 2013. Shirley was widely regarded as a very strong and skillful Republican Party leader who worked closely with Republicans and Democrats alike to build consensus, to find solutions and achieve respective Party goals. She was a former Republican Party State Committeewoman, the first and only female Mayor in the Borough of Upland, PA and a very accomplished local community leader. Shirley was invited and attended two U.S. Presidential Inaugurations, one for Ronald W. Reagan, the other for George W. Bush, as well as several Pennsylvania Gubernatorial Inaugurations. She was a graduate of St. Anthony of Padua Parish and Chester High School, both in Chester, PA. While politics was her livelihood, her five sons and grandchildren were her passion. Her best times were spent at Brookhaven Swim Club in the 1970's and early 1980's and summers at the family shore home in Wildwood Crest, NJ, beginning in the mid 1980's with her family and friends. Shirley was an avid reader, enjoyed writing, loved vacationing and scrapbooking family memories. Shirley's greatest accomplishment by her own account was raising five wonderful sons, providing them with Catholic values and education, then educating them at Penn State University and Ohio State University. She is the daughter of deceased Chester Detective and County Fingerprinter, Samuel L. D'Amato and Myrtle S. D'Amato. SURVIVORS Shirley is survived by her husband, Kenneth N. Miller. Five Sons: Michael (Linda) of Delaware, Nicholas (Stephanie) of Ohio, Kirk (Kim) of New Jersey, Christian (Jane) of Texas and Daniel (Nicole) of New Jersey, along with fourteen Grandchildren and three Great-Grandchildren spread across four states. She is also survived by her brother, Dr. Samuel L. D'Amato of Pennsylvania and her sister, Faye Sylvester of California. Memorial Contributions, in lieu of flowers, may be donated in memory of Shirley A. Miller to: Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) , Cherry Hill Plaza, 1415 Route 70 East, 3rd Floor, Cherry Hill, NJ 08034. www.jdrf.org/southjersey