Nurse inspires donation to Okanagan College

A generous donation has been made to Okanagan College’s new Health Sciences Centre in memory of an inspiring Kelowna nurse.

The $150,000 gift comes from the family of Mary Miller, who passed away in October at age 83.

“My Mary would be so pleased and so honoured that we’re doing this for her,” Dean Miller, her husband of 62 years and co-founder of auto parts store Miller & Wyatt, said in a Wednesday college release.

“Our mom was a tremendous caregiver, caring for us and caring for her friends and anyone in the community,” added her son, Bruce Miller.

Born and raised in Kelowna, Mary obtained her nursing degree then returned to her hometown, where she married Dean, her high school sweetheart.

The couple had three children.

Mary worked her whole nursing career at Kelowna General Hospital, often going in even on her days off if extra help was needed.

The donation will be put toward a student collaboration room, a shared study and technology space open to all students in the eight health care educational programs offered by the college.

“It’s not just about the book learning, it’s about making connections, getting to know one another and building support systems,” says Kathy Hattrick, Mary’s daughter, who also worked as a nurse before retiring.

“My mom would have wanted this, to help train the next generation.”