Laura J. (Rahn) Miller

Laura Jeanne Miller (nee Rahn), age 90, passed peacefully during the early morning hours of Sunday, October 8, 2017 at home in Leominster, Massachusetts.

Born in Wormleysburg, Pennsylvania on March 27, 1927, she was the daughter of Raymond P. Rahn, a machinist, and Nina (Jacques) Rahn, a seamstress.  She showed a deep love of music at an early age, and avidly studied to become a skilled pianist and organist. She founded and conducted an orchestra while still a student at Lemoyne High School, from which she graduated in 1945.

After retiring from Harrisburg Capital Blue Cross, where she had become a supervisor in the Subscriber Service Department, Laura continued to apply her musical skill as a piano teacher and church musician.  She served several Harrisburg congregations, including the Harrisburg First Seventh-day Adventist Church and Stevens Memorial United Methodist Church, as organist and director of the vocal and hand bell choirs.  Laura was a life-long Bible scholar, and taught Sabbath School classes for her church.  She arranged for her piano students to play their recitals at Homeland Center, where she also volunteered to play piano for their Sunday church services.

Laura’s husband, Dr. Harold L. Miller, sisters Sarah Mae Smith, Virginia Ebbert, Sandra Hauck, and her brother Richard Rahn, preceded her in death.  She is survived by her two daughters, Nancy Wada of Leominster, MA, and Carol Powers of Las Vegas, NV; her sister Ruth Bair of Enola, PA; 9 grandchildren, 21 great grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews.  Laura also counted three step children among her family –  Dr. James Miller, Bonnie Huber, and Ann Miller –  4 step grandchildren, and 9 step great grandchildren.

Laura was an intelligent, energetic woman with the gifts of music and humor.  She was a good friend and effective helper because her kind heart enabled her to understand the needs of others and guided her to just the right course of action. In her later years, Alzheimer’s Dementia took much away from her, but never her beautiful smile or the sparkle in her magical blue-green eyes.  If she had been able, she would have asked her friends and family to offer their time, energy, and resources to efforts to cure and prevent this terrible disease.

Graveside services will be held 3:00 pm Friday, October 13, 2017 at Woodlawn Memorial Gardens.

Kimmel Funeral Home, Harrisburg, is handling arrangements.