Eileen Miller

Eileen Marie Miller (Nonna), age 61, of Damascus, MD, departed peacefully into eternal life on Wednesday, July 10, 2024, with her husband by her side. They started and ended their relationship together holding hands, symbolizing a bond that can never be broken. The family was blessed to surround her last days with love, sharing life-giving memories and offering gratitude for Eileen’s journey.

In her younger years, Eileen lived in Midway and Hawaii when her father was in the U.S. Navy. This is where Eileen developed her love for the country, the military, and sacrificial love. Eileen loved her childhood growing up in simpler times and attended Robert Peary High School in Rockville, where she was a cheerleader before moving to Damascus. She worked as an executive secretary for several consulting firms, earning her degree in Technology & Management at the University of Maryland and walked across the stage a week before delivering her 3rd child. 

Eileen’s passion in life was raising and homeschooling her 5 children. She was the spiritual mother of the family and planted the seeds of her faith, academics, and service to others. The family prayed the rosary every week and supported pro-life efforts in the parish. They took their homeschooling on the road with frequent trips to Ocean City, the Florida panhandle, and New Orleans, where they grew close to friends who shared a love for the faith, music, and good food. The family tailgated at the University of Maryland football games for decades, during which Eileen dazzled us with her famous egg-sausage casserole. She also had a passion for tap dancing, a skill she continued into her adult years complete with music nights on the back deck and impromptu dancing at our annual couple getaway weekends. The Miller household will not be the same without her warm presence, laughter, and cozy evenings watching HGTV, Food Network, and EWTN with her husband. The family remains tight-knit, which is a clear fruit of Eileen’s unconditional love and heart for selfless service. 

Eileen was a warrior for her Catholic faith. She and Dale devoted their marriage to the intercession of the Blessed Mother. She loved to serve: bringing communion to the elderly/homebound, volunteering for the Gabriel Project where she served women facing crisis pregnancies, and taking care of her mother during the last two years of her mother’s life. It was a blessing and an inspiration to witness Eileen’s courageous 3-year battle with metastatic breast cancer. People sensed the presence of the Holy Spirit strengthening her as she embodied unprecedented courage and peace despite her heavy cross. She continued to minister and bring people to the faith even in the last weeks of her life. In her final weeks, she resolutely set her eyes towards heaven, praying Hail Mary’s, singing simple hymns, and smiling while sharing memories—even as her ability to communicate dwindled. She knew this earth was not her home.

Eileen is survived by her husband, Dale of Damascus, MD; brother, Philip Burke of Berkeley Springs; five children: Colin, Brandyn and his wife Julie and daughter, Kristen and her husband Ben and son, Claire, and Patrick. She was predeceased by her parents and older brother. 

In lieu of flowers, contributions on behalf of Eileen Marie Miller may be made to the Gabriel Project Cluster of Montgomery County, Maryland at www.gpmoco.org