Madeline Myrtle (Martin) Miller

MILLER, Madeline Myrtle Florence (nee Martin)

Madeline (Maddie) Miller passed away peacefully at her Huntsville home surrounded by her family on Sunday, April 3, 2022.  She was predeceased by Frank, her beloved husband for more than 50 years.  Cherished mother to Laurie (Ron), Lisa (Gary), Art (Bonnie) and Jimmy.  Loving grandmother of Adam (Rebecca), Matthew (Natalie), Carrie-Anne (Jay), Jason (Tara), Alex (Fernanda), Jamie (Kelsey) and Brittany (Matt).  Cherished great-grandmother to Cody, Tyler, Katie, Chase, Maverix and Adeline.  Maddie was predeceased by her brother John Martin and sisters Nita McKeown, Ethel Melton, Elva Rowe, Lavina Snowden and Orka MacLean.

Maddie was born in Huntsville on September 13, 1928 and was the sixth child of Walter and Laura Martin. She grew up in a farmhouse and attended elementary school at the one-room school house on Ravenscliffe Road.  As a young teen, Maddie moved to Toronto to live with her brother John and his wife Mary where she helped them take care of their children and was a willing hand with household chores.  Maddie always had an affinity for kids.

She met Frank at a dance in Huntsville and married him in 1954.  They bought their first home in East York, then in 1968 and four children later they moved their family to Markham.  Maddie returned to the workforce in 1977 working for SDS Securities until her retirement in December 1985.  In January 1986, Frank and Maddie retired to Huntsville to live in the house they built beside her sister Ine and her husband.   They enjoyed walking together twice a day, every day for over 15 years.  Playing pool or an evening of cards was never out of the question.

Retirement living also meant the beginning of the ever-loved 11:30am and 4:30pm clubs.  The 11:30 club was spent with her sister Ine and Turner.  It was a daily tradition of getting together for some chitchat and a pre-afternoon beverage.  The Friday 4:30pm club was a bigger deal.  They always had the best snacks on the table and it was a come one, call all invitation to friends and family and zero judgement as to who came through the door.  Sometimes the 4:30pm club was quiet and lasted only an hour but, more often than not, the Miller home was abuzz every Friday with folks stopping in, well into the evening and everyone coming together over good food, drinks and laughter.

For many years, the Miller residence was the hot spot for an unforgettable New Year’s Eve party.  No one will ever forget the good old days.   There were so many highlights of Maddie’s life:  family time at the cottage, a trip she won to Hawaii, visiting Scotland and England and a road trip out to the East coast.

The simple things in life brought Maddie joy.  She collected elephants as she saw them as a symbol of good luck.  She loved gardening and baking and made the best hot cross buns.   Her bread and butter pickles were as undeniably delicious as her famous chili sauce.  Oil of Olay was the secret to her youthful glow even though she may have been a witch at heart.  Of course, Halloween was Maddie’s favourite annual tradition to embrace.  Her house was almost as decked out as it was at Christmas.

Her devotion to her family was apparent and Maddie adored her grandchildren and great-grandchildren just as much as they adored her.   She had the best sense of humour and her wit remained sharp and intact until the very end.

4:30pm will never be the same again.  Maddie lived her best life every day and her glass was always full.  Her nursery rhymes and stories     of yesteryear will continue to be told and cherished.

Family and friends are invited to a visitation on Friday, April 22, 2022, from 6-8 p.m. and again on Saturday, April 23, 2022, from 11-1 p.m. at Billingsley Funeral Home.  The funeral service will be held in the funeral home chapel on Saturday, April 23, 2022 at 1 p.m.  Live streaming will be available for those unable to attend the funeral service and can be located on Maddie's memorial page in the service section.  As an expression of sympathy memorial donations can be made to Huntsville Hospital Foundation or charit of choice in lieu of flowers.

"You can always tell where a beautiful soul has been by the tears and smiles left behind."