Shirley Jane Miller

Shirley Jane Miller, daughter of the late Wallace Earl Bucholtz and Viola Amanda Polze, passed from this earth peacefully on Tuesday, the first of March, 2022, at age 83 and surrounded by beloved family and friends at her home in Cotati, California.

Shirley was a 50 year resident of Cotati, a community that she loved, was proud to be a member of, and where she raised three children Cathy, Steven, and Christy along with two grandsons, Steven and Kevin.

Shirley was born on May 1, 1938 and raised in the small community of Honey Creek in rural southern Wisconsin and graduated from the Racine County School of Agriculture and Domestic Economy in Rochester.  Shirley left the rural life behind when she joined the United States Air Force (1957-60) at the age of 19 years.  Her assignment to Headquarters Western Air Defense Force at Hamilton Air Force Base in Novato is what brought her to California and she chose never to leave the Golden State.  Shirley was rightfully proud of her of service to our nation and her training and specialty of Data Processing Machine Operator led to a long and successful career in Information Systems Technology during a time when there were very few women in the tech field.  Her career culminated as Senior Systems Analyst within the Information Systems Department at Sonoma State University where she was the go-to person for 25 years before retiring in 1999.

While Shirley’s German cultural roots were always present in the high value she placed on orderliness, industriousness, and fastidiousness (“ Ordnung muss sein” – “ Order must be” ), she was at the same time always a very loving, caring, and outgoing personality who made friends everywhere she went.  Her long time home in Cotati was frequently a gathering place for all manner of social functions and great times that we will all miss.

Shirley was a fiercely independent woman and was never much concerned about material possessions. Her passions were her loved ones and travel that took her all around the world on trips and cruises too numerous to count with wonderful friends and family.  It is the general consensus that Ireland was her favorite place to visit, but she also loved traveling in the Caribbean often on great cruises with great friends and glasses of chardonnay wine.

Shirley is preceded by her parents Wallace and Viola, former husband William Miller, brother in law Richard Scott of Petaluma CA, and her soul mate kitty Reddy (Red Man).  Shirley is survived by her twin sister Shelby (Bucholtz) Scott (also Air Force Veteran) of Petaluma, CA, three children, Cathy (Miller) Wallace of Cotati CA, Christy Miller of New York NY, Steven Miller of Penngrove CA, grandsons Steven Wallace and Kevin Wallace of Cotati CA, and nephews Chris and Robert Scott of Petaluma CA.

Services for Shirley will be held at the Sacramento Valley National Cemetery in Dixon, California, on Tuesday, May 24, 2022 at 2:30 pm.

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Graveside Service

Tuesday, May 24, 2022

Sacramento Valley National Cemetery

Sacramento Valley National Cemetery