Carol Miller

On June 10, 2023, at age 77, Carol Miller left us to journey into other realms. She was a quintessential mind wanderer well known for her deep dives into all avenues of inquiry. She was a writer, an artist, a spiritual seeker, and an extraordinarily well-read deep researcher, but most of all, a lover of plants.

She left many beautiful gardens in her wake and enjoyed sharing her skills and plant wisdom with others. To some, she was known as the Plant Goddess because it seemed like anything she touched grew robust and beautiful. She was also known as a Renaissance woman, a jack-of-all-trades, ahead of her time, with the ability and aptitude to do a little of everything, including carpentry and plumbing.

Carol was born in Wyoming, Illinois, in 1946 to parents David Harold Miller and Nancy Nicoll Miller. Her family relocated to Southern California when she was 16, where she attended Palos Verdes High School because her father won the job as its first principal when it opened in 1961.

After finishing high school with honors, she attended Stanford University and graduated Phi Beta Kappa. Throughout her schooling, Carol excelled at both academics and athletics. She was captain of her Stanford swim team and was considered potential Olympic material as a golfer. Though she majored in English, she ended up preferring a path of horticulture.

She spent many years in various horticultural positions where she did everything from wielding a pick and shovel to designing complex landscapes. She also taught English and Horticulture at Feather River College in Quincy, CA. In more recent years, she was Horticultural Director for an educational facility in Perrysburg, Ohio, where she brought a touch of California style to the formal Midwest gardens.

Carol was a strong and fiercely independent woman who lived a full and colorful life following the beat of her own drum. Her early adventures included writing screenplays, living in an Ashram, studying macrobiotic cooking with Michio Kushi, and herbalism with Michael Tierra. Keenly interested in holistic health and healing to the end of her days, she incorporated each of these skills into her everyday life and shared them enthusiastically with others.

Her wanderlust of the spirit prompted her to move frequently in her adult years. She lived in major cities and small towns up and down the state of California, including Los Angeles, Venice Beach, Santa Cruz, Sacramento, Portola, Quincy, and Chico. She returned to Plumas County in 2018 when she lost her home in Paradise, CA, after one of the most devastating wildfires in California history.

Carol preferred to live close to the land, spent several years living off-the-grid, and even spent some time living in a tipi. Her insightful way of questioning even her own thoughts and actions put her at the forefront of many movements and positive changes in our world. Above all, she learned to trust her gut instincts, and she taught her family, students, and friends to never take anything at face value, to always question everything, and to come to their own conclusions. We will miss her pioneering and indefatigably rebellious spirit!

In later years, Carol returned to her Christian faith. She loved studying biblical scripture. A favorite quote that held particular meaning for her was from the Apostle Paul: “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” ~Hebrews 11:1

Carol is survived by sister Judy Earle, brother David Miller, and her three children: Nell Regan Kartychok (Nick Kartychok), Patrick David Regan (Jessica), Kyle Miller, and her granddaughter Charlize Kartychok.