Obituary of Pat Miller

Patricia Guess Miller

Columbia - Patricia Guess “Pat” Miller passed away peacefully on February 20, 2022. She was born in 1938 in Sumter, South Carolina and was 1 of 7 children of Beckman and Beulah Guess.  

Pat’s greatest pride and joy was her family, which included 5 children, 12 grandchildren, and 11 great-grandchildren (and one more on the way). She was not a rich woman in terms of monetary wealth, but no one was richer than she when it came to her family.

Pat retired from AT&T / Bell South after a 30 year career in numerous roles including long distance / international operator, directory assistance representative, and customer service representative.

She loved to travel and wore out countless sets of tires and vehicles in her many miles on the road, however one of her most favorite and loved travel destinations was Israel.

Pat was a fierce defender and protector of her family, the wife of a United States Air Force veteran, unwavering in her patriotism, and a woman of strong faith.

She loved being around people and genuinely enjoyed an opportunity to be in a social setting. She was opinionated, and never afraid to share her opinion or values. Pat’s granddaughter Aubrey shared… “She always had an opinion, something to say. She took a stance, chose a side, was NOT afraid to be seen or heard, to take up space. Rare qualities in a woman of her generation.”

Pat’s life was not an easy one; losing 2 of her siblings as a child, losing her husband Saul after a 5 year battle with cancer in 1982, and losing her daughter Tami unexpectedly in 2013. She was continually challenged with her own medical situations and conditions that demonstrated just how incredibly tough and resilient she was. She lived with diabetes for the last 30 years of her life. She survived a heart attack and subsequent quadruple bypass heart surgery, a fall that resulted in 2 major brain surgeries to save her life, and numerous kidney failures resulting in life threatening hospitalizations.  One of her most significant medical situations occurred in 1997 when her liver began failing and ultimately resulted in Pat undergoing a liver transplant. At the time, she was told that the average life expectancy of the recipient of a liver transplant was 5 years, but she lived for 25 years after receiving a new liver.

She was truly a miracle of modern medicine and science, but her faith in God, will to survive and ability to fight through life threatening situations was second to none. A combination of these things, along with unending family support clearly contributed to her longevity.

She is survived by her 4 children; daughter, Fran Rickard (Dave); sons, Steve Miller, Shawn Miller (Cindy), and William “Bege” Miller (Debbie); 12 grandchildren; Joey Shealy (Joanie), Ian Jumper, Devon Jumper-Giles (Brandon), Aubrey Kellar, Abby Miller, Alison Baltzigar (Michael), Sarah McGee (Kevin), Michael Rickard (Liz), Matthew Rickard (Samantha), Jennifer Miller, Brittany Jordan (James), Samantha Hopkins (Quinton); 11+ great grandchildren; Atticus, Calvin, Mahala, Harry, Daniel, Grace, Jil, Skyler, John Weston, Olivia, Annabel, and Mila (to be born in April); sister, Iwana Ridgill;  brother, Richard Guess.

In addition to her parents, Pat was preceded in death by her husband, Saul A. Miller Jr.; daughter, Tami Miller Jumper; brothers, Ikey and Billy Guess; and sisters, Donna Guess and Gloria Ward.

Per Pat’s wishes, there will be no formal funeral services; however, a Celebration of Life gathering will be held at 3:00 PM, Saturday, March 12, 2022 at the West Columbia First Church of the Nazarene Family Life Center, 350 Wattling Road, West Columbia, SC 29170.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to: The American Diabetes Association, https://www.diabetes.org/, or MUSC Transplant Center, https://giving.musc.edu/living-donor-institute