Date of Death: July 22, 2025
Age: 79
Date of Birth: September 9, 1945
Obituary: La Vernne Dian Miller (nee Tomlin) passed away unexpectedly July 22, 2025 at her condo in Coquitlam, B.C. in the company of her favourite furry companion, Bobo (Momo) the cat.
La Vernne was born in 1945 in Oliver, BC to parents Edward Victor (“Vic”) and Clara Tomlin (nee Krause). She grew up surrounded by nature and family and appreciated both more than most. La Vernne often recounted the story of her dad waking her up at 3 a.m. to see a spectacular display of northern lights. She was very grateful for the experience and for having a dad who appreciated these gifts the way she did. La Vernne could be counted on to stay up too late watching meteor showers or to go out every hour all night to watch the ISS pass over. She remained in awe of nature’s power and beauty throughout all her years.
After grade 13 at Southern Okanagan Secondary School, La Vernne moved into residence at the University of Victoria. She was often homesick for her loving parents, but she became a certified teacher: the career she chose after first attending school as a young girl.
In June of 1968, La Vernne married Russell George Miller and the two moved to Burnaby. La Vernne had a job in Port Coquitlam teaching grade 1 at Central Elementary. They moved to Kitsilano before Michelle was born and bought a house in Port Coquitlam in 1972, soon after James completed the family of four. After staying at home when her children were small, La Vernne tried to return to the work force at a time when teaching positions were in short supply. Determined to make her life and career in School District 43, she spent several years as a Teacher-On-Call before returning to a class of her own. La Vernne worked several years at Cedar Drive Elementary, then joined the staff at Kilmer, where she stayed until retirement.
An authentic and humourous lady, La Vernne devoted her energy to being the best mother, teacher and friend she could be. Her children enjoyed Easter Treasure Hunts with poetic clues, Christmas presents wrapped to look like animals, and always the most thoughtful gifts and most beautiful Christmas trees. La Vernne was a perfectionist. Those who knew her will remember her dedication to choosing just the right birthday card, though they may not have received it on time!
La Vernne was creative and musical. An obvious soprano, La Vernne sang in choirs at all levels of school and in the Coquitlam Chorale. She admired the choir at Trinity United Church and initially joined the congregation to be able to sing in their choir! La Vernne played guitar, and in later years learned the ukelele. When her singing voice was no longer reliable, she took up bell ringing. La Vernne frequented many live theatre venues, enjoying musicals, comedy, mysteries and dramatic performances. She also enjoyed live music, attending events from the folk music festival to Bard on the Beach to the children’s festival, always ensuring her class would attend. La Vernne was famous for writing original plays performed at school Christmas concerts and serving ice cream floats on the last day of school. Her impact on thousands of children who are now the citizens of our community is monumental.
In retirement, La Vernne took courses on nature and astronomy from Glen Pine Senior’s Centre. She was fascinated by true crime stories and plane crash investigations. La Vernne was a movie buff; until the pandemic, she watched all the movies nominated in the major categories so she knew who she wanted to win the Oscars. La Vernne kept her mind sharp by editing manuscripts, reading, and doing Sudoku. Always diligent with her nutrition and medication, La Vernne often clarified that she was not OCD, just “OD”. La Vernne managed her health challenges with determination, grace and humour, remaining strong of mind and spirit. She ensured her family knew they were loved to the moon and back, and her sincere, forgiving, loving and supportive character never waned.
La Vernne is survived by her brother Harold (Brenda), sister Noella (Larry), daughter Michelle (Bob) and son James, as well as many beloved cousins, nieces, grand-nieces and nephews, and both human and furry friends.
A Celebration of Life will be held at Trinity United Church in Port Coquitlam on August 16th at 11:00am. All are welcome. You may also attend via Youtube by clicking “YouTube Channel” from the church website at https://ucpoco.ca.
Donations in lieu of flowers may be made to the BC Cancer Foundation, the BC Lung Foundation or Trinity United Church.
La Vernne Miller Memorial Service here at Trinity United Church, Saturday, August 16 at 11 am.
To access the YouTube livestream on the day, CLICK HERE.
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