Obituary for Zaida Eunice Miller
Zaida Eunice Miller passed away peacefully Monday, November 2nd, 2020 at Park Manor Rehabilitation & Skilled Nursing Center in Middletown, New York
Zaida was a loving mom and grandma with a tender heart and a passion for fashion. She loved dressing up and looking her best but would just as easily give you the shirt off her back if you were in need. She listened more than she spoke and only paid attention to your best qualities. Zaida also valued people and went out of her way to let those around her know that she appreciated them. Add in the fact that her love language was cooking and it’s easy to see why she was beloved by all.
Zaida was born in the lovely parish of Trelawney, in north western Jamaica, West Indies. She was an early riser, which undoubtedly came from years of doing farm chores before walking to school each day. Her first of many transitions was to the bright lights and city life in the island capital of Kingston where she found work as a milliner, making fabulous hats for the largest department store in the city. She also fell in love and gave birth to two beautiful children, Charmaine and Lenny.
When opportunity struck, Zaida made the courageous choice to leave her children and migrate to the United States for a chance at a better life for her family. She arrived in the 1960s amidst the civil rights movement and social unrest. Zaida navigated the currents and landed a position at Saks Fifth Avenue headquarters in New York City. Her tremendous work ethic led to a position as a Buyer’s Assistant. She won numerous awards for her service and accomplishments and remained there until her retirement.
In her spare time, Zaida taught Sunday school, volunteered at polling stations, traveled, and cooked for family and friends. She also reestablished the family in the United States and took great pride in her children’s accomplishments. When her grandchildren were born, she moved in with the family and spent many glorious years all the way through their adult lives. Zaida loved that she had a perfect pair and that her grandchildren were born in pairs, producing three boys and three girls, each with their own deep bond to their grandma.
In her later years, Zaida recognized that she needed more clinical care and peer experiences than her family could provide. This awareness blessed her with a whole new tribe of loving souls that cared for her like family and created a manageable community that she could navigate independently. And that she did! First at an assisted living facility and later at Park Manor. It was often difficult to get her on the phone because she was playing bingo, painting, and having a blast with fellow residents. Having our mom and grandma live outside our physical home taught us that love transcends time, space, and biology. Zaida taught us all that when we open to life and let it have it’s way with us, love ripples forth and points the way, joyfully.
Zaida was the last remaining sibling in her family of two brothers and three sisters. She is survived by her daughter, son, and six grandchildren.
Services will be webcast at 10 am on Thursday, November 12, 2020. Visitation and service will be held Thursday, November 12, 2020 from 9:30 -11:30 a.m. at Applebee-McPhillips Funeral Home, 130 Highland Avenue, Middletown, New York, 10940. Her burial will follow in Pine Lawn Cemetery Memorial Park, Farmingdale, NY.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests an act of kindness in Zaida’s honor with a donation to Park Manor residents shut in due to the pandemic. Your love offering will be used to provide grooming services for the residents that may not have had a visit from family and would enjoy the extra attention.
Click the hyperlink below to donate to Zaida’s Glam All Day Grooming Fund.
Rest in Love now, dear Zaida
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Zaida was a loving mom and grandma with a tender heart and a passion for fashion. She loved dressing up and looking her best but would just as easily give you the shirt off her back if you were in need. She listened more than she spoke and only paid attention to your best qualities. Zaida also valued people and went out of her way to let those around her know that she appreciated them. Add in the fact that her love language was cooking and it’s easy to see why she was beloved by all.
Zaida was born in the lovely parish of Trelawney, in north western Jamaica, West Indies. She was an early riser, which undoubtedly came from years of doing farm chores before walking to school each day. Her first of many transitions was to the bright lights and city life in the island capital of Kingston where she found work as a milliner, making fabulous hats for the largest department store in the city. She also fell in love and gave birth to two beautiful children, Charmaine and Lenny.
When opportunity struck, Zaida made the courageous choice to leave her children and migrate to the United States for a chance at a better life for her family. She arrived in the 1960s amidst the civil rights movement and social unrest. Zaida navigated the currents and landed a position at Saks Fifth Avenue headquarters in New York City. Her tremendous work ethic led to a position as a Buyer’s Assistant. She won numerous awards for her service and accomplishments and remained there until her retirement.
In her spare time, Zaida taught Sunday school, volunteered at polling stations, traveled, and cooked for family and friends. She also reestablished the family in the United States and took great pride in her children’s accomplishments. When her grandchildren were born, she moved in with the family and spent many glorious years all the way through their adult lives. Zaida loved that she had a perfect pair and that her grandchildren were born in pairs, producing three boys and three girls, each with their own deep bond to their grandma.
In her later years, Zaida recognized that she needed more clinical care and peer experiences than her family could provide. This awareness blessed her with a whole new tribe of loving souls that cared for her like family and created a manageable community that she could navigate independently. And that she did! First at an assisted living facility and later at Park Manor. It was often difficult to get her on the phone because she was playing bingo, painting, and having a blast with fellow residents. Having our mom and grandma live outside our physical home taught us that love transcends time, space, and biology. Zaida taught us all that when we open to life and let it have it’s way with us, love ripples forth and points the way, joyfully.
Zaida was the last remaining sibling in her family of two brothers and three sisters. She is survived by her daughter, son, and six grandchildren.
Services will be webcast at 10 am on Thursday, November 12, 2020. Visitation and service will be held Thursday, November 12, 2020 from 9:30 -11:30 a.m. at Applebee-McPhillips Funeral Home, 130 Highland Avenue, Middletown, New York, 10940. Her burial will follow in Pine Lawn Cemetery Memorial Park, Farmingdale, NY.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests an act of kindness in Zaida’s honor with a donation to Park Manor residents shut in due to the pandemic. Your love offering will be used to provide grooming services for the residents that may not have had a visit from family and would enjoy the extra attention.
Click the hyperlink below to donate to Zaida’s Glam All Day Grooming Fund.
Rest in Love now, dear Zaida
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Previous Events
Visitation
Thursday
12
Nov
9:30 AM
- 11:30 AM
Applebee-McPhillips Funeral Home
130 Highland Ave.
Middletown, NY 10940
Burial will follow in Pine Lawn Cemetery Memorial Park, Farmingdale, NY
Cemetery Details
Location
Pine Lawn Memorial Park
2030 Wellwood Ave
Farmingdale , NY 11735
Memorial Contribution
Zaida’s Glam All Day Grooming Fund
https://www.paypal.com/donate/?cmd=_donations&business=RAJXH9EZR84DG¤cy_code=USD&Z3JncnB0=
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