Barbara Ann (Dachs) Miller

Barbara (Dachs) Miller, 65, of West Hartford, the wife of retired Judge Grant H. Miller, died at Hartford Hospital on Tuesday, April 14 after a lengthy battle against cancer.

Barbara and Grant married in 1975. Their strong, happy marriage lasted almost 45 years and brought them two children: Eric (Jennifer) Miller of Glastonbury and Lauren (Jonathan) Cohen, of New Haven. Barbara also leaves her best friend and sister Leslie and brother-in-law Vincent Viaggio and her brother and sister-in-law Steven and Nancy Dachs, as well as their three sons. Barbara is predeceased by her parents Martin R. Dachs and Janet N. Dachs. Barbara is also predeceased by the couple’s daughter Sarah, who died at birth. Barbara loved her dogs beyond measure, including Murphy, Abby and Jackson, all deceased, and Skippy, who made it very clear from the day he came home to us that she was his favorite human on Earth.

Barbara was the very proud and loving grandmother of three young grandchildren, Emerson Cohen, Brayden Miller and Hallie Cohen. They were an immense joy and light in her life. She found pleasure in a great many other things besides her family, including recreational shopping, the music of Bruce Springsteen, the UConn Womens’ Basketball Team, the Boston Red Sox, lobsters, and Cape Cod, where her family enjoyed many happy vacations.

Her greatest love was children, and she had more than enough love to give to many other kids. Later in life, Barbara realized that she wanted to be a preschool teacher, and she graduated in 2004 with a certificate in Early Childhood Education from Capitol Technical College in Hartford. She went on to a satisfying and fulfilling career at the Connecticut Children’s Museum Preschool, where she helped hundreds of four year-olds prepare for Kindergarten while having a great deal of fun. Her students and their parents have long remembered Barbara as a dedicated teacher who gave their children a chance to love school before they started Kindergarten. It was not unusual for Barbara to run into former students everywhere she went in West Hartford. She was thrilled to see every one of them and never forgot a student. Barbara was genuinely interested in what her former students were doing. As one relative once said, “Barbara never gives a cheap hello.”

Arrangements are entrusted to Weinstein Mortuary, Hartford, CT. Burial will be private due to the limitations on gatherings now in effect. A memorial service will be scheduled as soon as health conditions permit. Contributions in lieu of flowers may be made in Barbara’s honor to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, 1275 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065 or to Animal Friends of Connecticut, Inc., P. O. Box 37306, West Hartford, CT 06137-0306. To sign the guest book for Barbara, please visit online at http://www.weinsteinmortuary.com/funerals.cfm

Contributions in lieu of flowers may be made in Barbara’s honor to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, 1275 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065 or to Animal Friends of Connecticut, Inc., P. O. Box 37306, West Hartford, CT 06137-0306.