Sharon Kay Miller

Sharon Kay Olson was born on September 8, 1943 in Grand Forks, North Dakota to Ole and Sigrid Olson. They had welcomed her older brother Orrin three and a half years prior. Sharon spent her childhood in North Dakota and Minnesota, largely in the towns of St. Hilaire and Thief River Falls. She loved music and took both piano and organ lessons as a child. Sharon became so skilled, that she was her church pianist and organist as a teenager. She graduated high school in Thief River Falls in 1961 and then moved with her parents to California the next year. Not long after, Sharon began working at Northrop, first as a secretary and later as a systems analyst and office manager. She was always proud to say she was once the assistant to Jack Northrop himself.

In the late 1960's, she met Virgil Eugene Miller and they would be married on September 26, 1971 at First Lutheran Church in Torrance. A few years later, they welcomed their daughter Sherri Michelle Miller. The Millers then moved to Palo Alto, California before returning to the Torrance area. Virgil passed away when their daughter was 12, Sharon and Sherri continued living in the Torrance area. 

After her retirement in 2003, Sharon enjoyed volunteering at her church, Resurrection Lutheran Church. She would help with Vacation Bible School, Splash Summer Day Camp, and the Kids Klub. Ms. Sharon loved preparing desserts and meals for the children, and was a favorite among the staff, children, and families. She never missed a chance to support her daughter at any event. 

Another favorite past time of Sharon's was her exercise class at First Lutheran Church. For many years, even though her rheumatoid arthritis forced her into a walker, she would attend exercise class three times a week and befriended many of her fellow attendees. 

Sharon loved attending church and just talking to people often over coffee and sweets. At home, Sharon enjoyed playing the piano and listening to music, especially Elvis and Kenny Rogers. She would often read mysteries, and take weekly drives to the beach with her daughter. For the past few years, her rheumatoid arthritis largely kept her home bound, but she continued to connect with people over the phone and through daily visits from her daughter and "the little ones" as she called her daughter's dogs. 

Sharon passed away peacefully on September 26, 2024 at her home. She is survived by her daughter, Sherri Miller, and her older brother, Orrin Olson. Sharon's kindness humor, generosity, and sweetness of spirit will be greatly missed.