Maria Theresia Josephina (Dirix) Miller, born December 9, 1936, passed away October 1, 2020 in Edina, MN.

Ria was born in Maastricht, Netherlands to Hubertus and Helena Dirix. At age three, Hitler invaded the country and for the next five years, her family endured the occupation by fighting in the resistance and going into hiding the last six weeks of the war when their identity was leaked to the Nazis.

After the war, her family immigrated to Australia seeking a more stable life. She, her parents and two older brothers, lived in a surplus army tent in a refugee camp near Sydney for two years where they learned to speak English and worked to earn money for a home. During her time in Australia, Ria married and had two boys. After 14 years, she and her sons returned with her parents and little brother to the Netherlands, where she worked for NATO as a manager and translator. It was there that she met Ron, an American soldier stationed with NATO during the Vietnam War. As their courtship grew to an engagement, Ron managed to convince her to move to Minnesota, most likely by minimizing the cold winters, and in 1969 Ria came to America to start her new life, which included the birth of her daughter.

After Ron retired, he and Ria travel the US in their RV, and eventually became snow birds, traveling to Melbourne, Florida each winter for fifteen years until Ron’s death. Ria then returned to MN to be with her children.

Ria enjoyed many things in her life, including traveling back to Australia and the Netherlands to visit family, General Hospital, a hot cup of tea, salty licorice, and peppermint lifesavers. Proceeded in death by husband Ron Miller, son Andre Miller, son-in-law Paul Rasmussen, brother Martin Dirix. Survived by children Paul (Eveyln) Miller, Deb Rasmussen, and grandchildren Virginia Miller of Los Angeles, CA, Sidney and Anya Miller of Rochester, Mn, Bram and Anika Rasmussen of Edina, MN, brother Chris Dirix of Sydney, Australia, and John (Desiree) Dirix of Maastricht, NL.