Obituary of Sheila Conboy Miller

Our dear mother, Sheila Laidlaw Conboy Miller, passed away peacefully on March 15, 2023, at the age of 83. She was a wonderful mother who was always there when we needed her. She also had many friends and was a well-loved member of the community in East Lansing, Michigan, where she lived for nearly 60 years.

She is survived by her daughter, Arden Fraser Miller, of Louisville, Kentucky, her son, Gilman Taylor Miller, her daughter-in-law, Maria Catherine Stokes, her grandson, Hayden Stokes Miller, and her granddaughter, Serena Ravenna Miller, all of San Francisco, California.

She was predeceased by her mother, Robin Laidlaw Conboy, of Riverdale, New York, her father, Joseph Conboy, of St. Petersburg, Florida, and her brother, Joseph Laidlaw Conboy, of Charlotte, North Carolina.

Sheila had a genuine exuberance for life which, combined with her abundant curiosity, meant she was never bored. She was a life-long student and teacher. Sheila was a voracious reader and writer, who composed poems and songs, which she loved to perform for family, friends, pets – and often, just for herself. She maintained connections with friends around the country and even the world through letters, drawings, collage and other creative arts. She nurtured lifelong bonds with beloved classmates from Michigan State University (M.F.A.), Swarthmore College, and Riverdale Country Day School in New York City, where she grew up. She also made lasting bonds with the children and families she worked with for nearly 30 years at Sparrow Hospital’s pediatric playroom.

Before dementia forced her out of her beloved Beech Street home and into assisted living, she loved tending the wild gardens she maintained there. The inside of her home was a sort of museum of American folk art she collected including pieces she crafted. Each year she looked forward to her summertime car-camping trip to the coast of southern Maine and to revisiting her friends there and along the way in the U.S. and Canada.

She and her family are thankful for the care she received from all of her caregivers and friends in the last 5 years of her life. No funeral is planned but we plan to celebrate her life and spread her ashes with her friends in a few places which were especially meaningful to her. If you would like to participate please contact gtmcs (AT) yahoo (DOT) com.