Funeral services for Karina Maria Lichirie Miller, age 70, of 1956 River Forest Road, will be held at Peachtree Road United Methodist Church on Saturday, November 15, 2008, at 11:00 a.m.. A private interment ceremony will follow in Elam Church cemetery in Quitman, Georgia. Mrs. Miller died suddenly early Tuesday morning, November 11, at her home. She was born on August 3, 1938, in Manila, Philippine Islands, the daughter of Mrs. Charlotte Rohrbeck Lichirie and the late Colonel Cornelius Ardalian Lichirie (U. S. Army Retired). She and her mother were on the last troop transport from Manila prior to the invasion of WWII. Her father's Army career took her to Army posts in many parts of the U. S. and Europe. She lived in Augusta, GA; Bordeaux and Paris, France; and Bonn, Munich, and Frankfurt, Germany. She was educated in Army and civilian schools, graduating high school from the Neuchatel School in Switzerland. She received her undergraduate degree, Phi Beta Kappa, from Emory University in the second class to graduate women. She had additional course work at the University of Munich, Germany, and earned her PhD in comparative literature (German and French) from Vanderbilt University. Mrs. Miller taught English and world literature at DeKalb College, now Georgia Perimeter College. A survivor of transverse myelitis, a crippling viral disease which she contracted at the age of eight after a skiing expedition, Mrs. Miller, with the encouragement of her parents and her personal perseverance, overcame many physical obstacles to learn to walk again. In spite of physical difficulties, she succeeded academically and socially. She was known for her joyous disposition, endless enthusiasm, and boundless generosity and hospitality. She was a world traveler. Recent trips included England, France, Italy, Greece, Germany, South Africa and Zimbabwe. She loved opera and classical music, was a fluent speaker of French, German, and Italian, and opened her home to visitors from all over the world. She was instrumental in establishing both the 200 acre Karina Miller Nature Preserve in Gwinnett County at the former family farm and the Lichirie collection of Egyptian art at the Carlos Museum. She was a member of ChattaRidge Garden Club, the International Women’s Club, and the Atlanta Music Club. She sat on the boards of The Atlanta Opera, the Atlanta Paralympics, served as a trustee of Belmont Abbey College, N.C., and had been a member of the boards of Fidelity National Capital Investors and privately-held family companies. Survivors include her husband of 43 years, James Bennett Miller, Jr.; son, Bartley Prescott Miller of Warner Robins, GA, and his fiancé Merci Navarro; daughters Katherine Lane Miller of Atlanta; and Elizabeth ("Lilly") Miller Armstrong and her husband Whit of Greenwich, Connecticut; her mother, 96-year old Mrs. Charlotte Rohrbeck Lichirie of Atlanta; grandchildren, Nathaniel Prescott Miller of Warner Robins and Thomas Whit Armstrong III of Connecticut; sisters, Mrs. Dahlis Lichirie Winn (Larry) of Dahlonega and sons Christopher (Donna) of Roswell, Ga., and Larry, Jr. (Christy) of Warner Robins ,GA. and Mrs. Christine Lichirie Foster (Kevin) of Atlanta; a brother, Cornelius William Lichirie, and sons Nicholas and Brian of Atlanta, GA. and a sister-in-law, Mrs. Ann Yessick of Atlanta and daughters Mary Lane Isham (Derrick) and Emily Ann Yessick and her son Tristan Cowan of Gainesville, Georgia. She was predeceased by her grandparents Wilhelm and Maria Mudrack Rohrbeck of Berlin, Germany, and Cornelius and Josephine Pisk Lichirie of Vienna, Austria and New York City. She is also survived by many cousins and many friends. The family will receive visitors at home on Friday, November 14, 2008, from 6 to 8 p.m. The Rev. Don Harp and the Rev. Bill Britt will officiate at the funeral. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests contributions can be made to The Shepherd Center, 2020 Peachtree Road, N. E., Atlanta, GA 30309. A. S. Turner & Sons
