Lillie Evlyn (Stephani) Miles

HAMILTON - Lillie Evlyn (Stephani) Miles passed away peacefully early Friday morning, March 3, 2017, at Valley View Estates Health Care Center in Hamilton. 

Lillie was born June 15, 1927, in Enid, Oklahoma, the oldest child of Peter and Charlotte Stephani. Her family relocated to Montana in 1930, landing first in Square Butte. Lillie spent her first years of school in Geraldine before her family settled finally in the Bitterroot Valley in 1938. She graduated from Corvallis High School in 1946. 

Lillie had a dream of living in every state of the union. She set off for a summer to work in the shipyards of Bremerton, Washington, moved to Kansas to work in her aunt's cafe, and studied to be a dental technician in San Francisco. 

She had returned to Montana and was working as a dietitian at St. Patrick's hospital in Missoula when she met her future husband Earl Miles. The two married July 1, 1955, and Lillie settled in to life as a wife and later mother. She and Earl celebrated 49 years of marriage together in their home just outside of Missoula, until Earl's death in 2004. 

Lillie was an avid seamstress, cook, and gardener. She enjoyed fishing outings with her family and playing cards with friends and her brothers. She and Earl were quick to offer assistance to anyone in need, yet rarely asked for anything in return. More than anything, she adored her grandchildren. 

Lillie is preceded in death by her husband Earl; parents, Peter and Charlotte; brothers, William and Robert; and sisters, Lucille and Roberta. She will be greatly missed by her brother Evon Stephani and his wife Linda of Hamilton; son, Dewey Miles of Missoula; daughter, Kyla and son-in-law Mark Touris of Columbus, Ohio; grandchildren, Staryal, Veronica, Haylee, Austin, Tanner, Keaton, Aaron, Zoe, and Lauren; and great-grandchildren, Mylah and Aven. 

The family would like to express our sincere appreciation to all the staff at Valley View Estates for their devoted and loving care these past years. 

Lillie will be cremated, as per her wishes, and will be interred alongside her husband at Missoula City Cemetery at a future date to be announced, with a reception to follow.