Mary Richardson Miller, 87, of New Hope, PA died peacefully on Sunday, September 1, 2024 at St. Mary Medical Center in Newtown, PA, surround by her four children, grandchildren, extended family, and many friends.

She was born Mary Richardson Buck on February 9, 1937 in Clarksville, MD to Muriel Dulany Steele and William Grafflin Buck, who died tragically in a boating accident off the shore of Gibson Island in the Chesapeake Bay when Mary was just 6 months old.

Two years later, her mother Muriel married Harper “Boy” Carroll, and Mary grew up at her stepfather’s Jericho Farm in Ellicott City, MD. Although not directly related to the Carrolls, she grew up as part of the family and remained close to them throughout her life.

Mary began riding horses on the farm before she could remember, and showed and fox hunted through her teens. She graduated high school from Garrison Forest School for girls in 1955, after which she attended Briarcliff College in upstate NY.

In 1958 she married George Gerhard Miller of Philadelphia, PA (born in Oxford, England), whom she met after college in Bryn Mawr, PA. They had four children together. In 1986 the couple moved to Guatemala City, where George was the Director of the Colegio Americano. There, Mary became involved with an PAVA, an NGO in Antigua, the former capital of Guatemala, with whom she travelled extensively in the highlands and lowlands of the Central American country, eventually writing a book entitled, The Women of Candelaria (Pomegranate Artbooks, Ca. 1996), in which she also contributed the photographs.

Mary graduated from Rosemont College when she was 40 (with all four children in attendance) and received her MFA in Creative Writing from Florida International University when she was 57. An artist most of her life, she was a painter, photographer, and, most significantly, a beloved poet. Her poems were published in many literary publications over the years, and she released her latest book of poems, Billy’s Child, in June of this year.

A great lover of classical music, it is said she used to conduct symphonies by Beethoven, Brahms, Mozart and Italian opera while standing atop her bed at Jericho Farm. While she didn’t inherit the talent for playing music from her mother Muriel (Meezie as she was known), she was very well versed in classical music and an avid listener until the end. In fact, Beethoven was playing as she quietly left us on September 1.

Mary was a beloved member of the congregation at Trinity Episcopal Church of Solebury, PA, where she served on the vestry, often read at services, and helped in the many charitable activities there. She loved community in general and gave selflessly of her time throughout her life.

Whether by fate or coincidence, Mary died 10 years to the day (September 1) after her husband George, who died in 2014. She is survived by her children, George Gerhard Miller, Jr. (Lisa Volpe), Elise Blakemore Miller Barnett, Cassandra Carroll Miller (Ray Erstikaitis), and Alexander Coxe Miller, and her grandchildren, Olivia Rose Miller, Noah Middleton Barnett, Mauro Buck Miller, and Nina Richardson Miller.

A service will be held for Mary at Trinity Episcopal Church of Solebury, PA on Friday, October 11, 2024 at 2:00 pm.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the fund for Mary's Memorial Bench at Bowman's Hill Wildflower Preserve here: everloved.com/life-of/mary-ri…

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