Caryl Vogel Miller, 95
God called his faithful servant, Caryl Vogel Miller, 95, home on May 22, 2025. She was dearly loved by all who knew her.
Caryl was born on March 30, 1930, in Chicago to Robert and Edna Vogel. She graduated from Calumet High School and went on to earn a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry from Albion College in Michigan, where she also met her future husband, George.
After college, Caryl worked as a medical technician and managed a blood bank in Lafayette, Indiana. She then took a 16-year break from her career to raise three children—first in Colorado and New Mexico, then in Southeastern Pennsylvania, and Northern California.
In the 1970s, she returned to work as a quality control technician and was eventually named manager of quality control at SmithKline Beckman in Southern California.
She and George later moved to Calgary, Canada, for his work. While in Calgary, Caryl used her entrepreneurial skills to launch the "The Class Factory," a successful news publication that reached a circulation of over 10,000.
They eventually retired in Whitefish. After George's death in 2020, she moved to the Seattle area to be near her family.
Beyond her professional accomplishments, Caryl was a devoted, long-time volunteer and board member with several organizations including the League of Women Voters, Salvation Army, and Stephen Ministries. She was also an accomplished lifelong bridge player, achieving Life Master status with the American Contract Bridge League.
An intelligent, strong, and well-informed person, Caryl encouraged her children to think independently, live truthfully, and love unconditionally. She adored her grandchildren, showering them with homemade treats, fun, laughter, outings, and wisdom. She welcomed her grandchildren's spouses to the family with open arms and felt blessed to know her first great-granddaughter.
Caryl was widely known for her warm humor and witty one-liners, eliciting smiles and laughter through her final days. She could not sing, however. Her inability to hold a note—not even one note—was legendary in the family. This was an especially hard pill to swallow for her husband George, an accomplished musician, and for the congregation at church on any given Sunday. Yet her voice was always welcome.
A lifelong Christian who practiced her faith in the Lutheran and Anglican traditions, Caryl's unconditional love, support, and acceptance for all people was cherished by all who knew her. Perhaps her greatest gift was her ability to form enduring friendships wherever she went. Caryl may have entered a room as a stranger, but she always left as a friend.
Caryl is survived by her children, Jeanne, Robert, and Georgia and son-in-law, Tim; granddaughters, Sydney and Roberta and grandsons-in-law, Chris and Evan; and great-granddaughter, Ella. She is also lovingly remembered by her nieces and nephews, Caryl, Ann, Joel, Mary, John, Tim, and Caleb, and their spouses.
She was preceded in death by her beloved husband of 69 years, George, sister, Jeanne and brother-in-law, Joel, sister-in-law, Elizabeth and brother-in-law, Jim, and nieces, Kimberlee and Brenda.