Trish Miiller

Trish Miiller, 54, of Hawthorn Woods, passed away peacefully surrounded by her loved ones after a brave and courageous battle with cancer July 24, 2021. She was born on August 6, 1966 in Palatine, IL to Gerald and Patti (née Mullen) McNally.

Trish grew up in Connersville, Indiana and then attended Miami University; she later graduated from the University of Houston. On July 18, 1992, she married Ron Miiller; the couple moved to the Chicagoland area in 1993.

Trish was a successful sales executive at Xerox and later Pitney Bowes, before transitioning to stay-at-home mom after the birth of her second child in 2002. She took her role as a wife and mother very seriously and devoted all of her energy to ensuring her beloved children and husband were happy, healthy, and focused on what they were “supposed to be doing”. Trish was the most caring and giving person in the world, and always put others thoughts and needs before her own. She was a big believer in being kind and always doing the right thing.

Trish was very focused, driven and organized in everything she did, from work, running the house, kids’ academics, and her personal life. Her family was so important to her, and she never missed an opportunity to be with them, even if it meant just simply watching TV together. She often spoke of Ron’s loving and supportive ways, and the pride she had for her children was always forefront.

As much as she loved her family, she loved her friends just the same. She enjoyed their company with a great meal, a bottle of red wine, and if there was music, Trish would be the first on the dance floor.

She also enjoyed tennis, golf, and yoga, but her favorite moments were simply sitting on the deck or around the fire pit with Ron enjoying a glass of red wine and music. And, yes, there probably would be dancing before the night was over.  Trish enjoyed spending time at her second home in Florida as it usually meant family was together and enjoying some down-time.

Trish was never one to have a pet, but in 2015 her children talked her into getting a dog. The moment Trish met her Teacup Maltese, Max, the bond that was created was unmistakable. She was absolutely crazy about “Maxwell” and took him everywhere – that boy loved his mama.

She was devoted to her faith and always looked for the positive and bright side of things. When she was diagnosed with cancer, she demonstrated her fight, determination, and poise. She always felt that she was going to beat it, but she most certainly wasn’t going to allow it to rule her life. Due to her faith, she made peace early on with her prognosis and decided to live for each day. She often said that some of the best years of her life occurred over the last four while she was battling cancer, which showed her to enjoy the important things and sweat the small things less. Trish never stopped believing or fighting until her last breath. Trish was a once-in-a-lifetime woman that had a beautiful spirit and a kind heart to match.

Trish will be deeply missed by her devoted husband, Ron; her cherished children, Jordan and Alex Miiller; brother Jim McNally (Natalie); sisters: Kathy (Roger) Burch, Kelly (Scott) Anspach, Maureen Mair, Susan (Jim) Alton and mother Patti (Tom) Paliganoff. She was preceded in death by her father Gerry and nephew Caden.

Memorial visitation will be Thursday, July 29, from 4 PM until 8 PM with a eulogy and prayer service  at 7 PM at Davenport Family Funeral Home and Crematory, 941 S. Old Rand Rd., Lake Zurich, IL 60047.

Memorial mass will be held on Friday, July 30 at 10 AM at St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church, 33 S. Buesching Road, Lake Zurich, IL. Interment will be private.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Trish’s name to the Lung Cancer Foundation of America (LCFA) https://lcfamerica.org/donate