Noreen Davitt Miller

Noreen Davitt Miller passed away at her home in Rolling Hills on December 4, 2012 after a long and spirited battle with cancer. She was 64 years old. Beloved wife of Thomas Miller, mother of Whitney R. MacLaughlin and Andrew D. Miller, and mother-in-law to Dr. Brian W. MacLaughlin, Noreen proudly welcomed her first grandchild, Nathaniel Brennan MacLaughlin to this world in January.
Born Noreen Davitt Swope in Philadelphia on September 7, 1948 to Dorothy and Thomas Swope, she lived in many cities around the country while growing up and with her husband of 40 years, Thom. She has been a Palos Verdes Peninsula resident for the past 19 years.
Noreen is survived not only by her immediate family, but by a wide circle of friends to whom she was devoted and in whom she found great joy. Professionally, she taught middle school history, English and language arts at Oakley Park Elementary School in Walled Lake Michigan, Stuart Hall Academy for Boys in San Francisco and in later years as a substitute at Rolling Hills Country Day in Rolling Hills Estates.
Her greatest passions in addition to family and friends were her garden and gourmet cooking for which she was perhaps best known and most admired by those who experienced the pleasure of dining at her table.
Active in many charities, Noreen's primary causes were the Las Candalistas volunteer organization in Palos Verdes and Providence Trinity Care Hospice of Southern California in whose loving care she spent the final weeks of her life. She served on the boards of both organizations.
A private burial is planned at Green Hills Mortuary in Rancho Palos Verdes.
The family invites friends and colleagues to join them at a holiday reception in Noreen's honor on Tuesday, December 11, from 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. at the Palos Verdes Country Club, Palos Verdes Estates.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Noreen's memory to the following organizations:
Las Candalistas
P.O. Box 3655
Palos Verdes Peninsula, CA 80274

Trinity Care Hospice Foundation
2601 Airport Drive Suite 230
Torrance, CA 90505


Funeral Home:
Green Hills Mortuary and Memorial Chapel
27501 S.Western Ave.
Rancho Palos Verdes, CA
US 90275