Miller, Jacquelyn "Jan" Dickey

Jacquelyn "Jan" Dickey Miller, 86, of Phoenix, died on September 24, 2012 at the Beatitudes in Phoenix. She was born on June 27, 1926 in El Centro, California to Robert and Hattie Ella Dickey. Jan attended both Mary Baldwin College and the University of Arizona, and graduated from the U of A where she met her first husband, David Kyle. They gave birth to one son who was only 18 months old when David died of Hodgkin’s disease. Jan later married Richard "Dick" Miller in 1962, and together they raised her son and Richard’s three children from a previous marriage. Jan was involved for many decades in several community activities in Phoenix. She was a founding member of the Guild of the Golden Gate Community Center that was established by the Episcopal Church to serve the Hispanic community. Jan was also a member of the Junior League of Phoenix and inaugurated the Mobile Angels Meal Service (MAMS) that brought hot meals to elderly and infirm persons throughout the valley. A longtime member of All Saints’ Episcopal Church, Jan was among the original congregation when All Saints’ became a parish in the 1950s, and she and Dick enrolled three of their children in the church’s new Day School when it first opened in 1963. In addition to her singing in the church’s senior choir with Dick, her membership in the Episcopal Church Women’s organization at the parish and diocesan levels, her work with the Daughters of the King, and her having chaired the annual rummage sale, she was most proud of - and honored for - establishing the "Neighbors Program," which assisted the residents of the Maryland Gardens Nursing Home directly adjacent to the church. For nearly 30 years, Jan ministered to the residents, hosting weekly Bingo games, special birthday celebrations, and an annual Christmas adoption outreach. She also brought numerous residents to Sunday services and was recognized by the All Saints’ Vestry in 2008 for her decades of dedicated service to the parish. As with many Arizonans, Jan enjoyed making an annual summer trek with her family to the beaches of southern California. In the week before her death, she traveled to San Diego with her son and daughter-in-law for what would become her last visit to the Pacific Ocean. She also enjoyed playing golf and tennis in her youth, as well as being surrounded by her four children, four grandchildren, and four greatgrandchildren. Jan was preceded in death by her husbands, David Kyle and Richard Miller, as well as her sisters, Nanell Ruckenbrod and Elaine King, and her brother, Bruce Dickey. She is survived by her son, Gary Kyle of Glendale, Arizona, grandsons David and Michael Kyle, and great-grandchildren, Zoe, Lucas, Olivia, and Nola Kyle; her stepdaughter, Susan Miller Hackett of Onalaska, Washington; and her stepsons, R. Michael Miller of East Brunswick, New Jersey and Ross Miller of New Windsor, New York and grandchildren Sarah and Michael Miller. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, October 6, 2012 at 10:00 a.m. at All Saints’ Episcopal Church, 6300 N. Central Ave, Phoenix. Mortuary services are provided by Hansen Mortuary, 8314 N. 7th Street, Phoenix. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Neighbors Program (c/o All Saints’ Episcopal Church) and Hospice of the Valley. To submit online condolences, please visit ww w.hansenmortuary.com.