Vivian (Johansson) Miller

Vivian Johansson Miller passed away peacefully on January 25, 2023 after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease. Vivian was loved by everyone she met.  She is preceded in death by her husband of 45 years, Robert H. Miller  and is survived by her son, Kenneth. 

Vivian was born in Bergunda in Sweden on May 6, 1934 to Gunnar and Amanda Mattson Johansson, and was the younger sibling to Folke, Alf and Birgit. Growing up, she discovered a love for and camaraderie in folk dancing. Vivian graduated from Kronoberg’s Folk High School in Vӓxjӧ, Sweden, and worked as a pharmacy technician. 

Though she loved her native country, a sense of adventure brought her to the US in 1960, where she first worked as an au pair before becoming a secretary and bookkeeper. In 1972 she married the love of her life, Bob, and a year later had a son, Kenneth. They spent the next 45 years living in Columbia, MD. She pursued many hobbies over the years, including needlepoint, weaving, gardening, and cooking. She also was an avid volunteer, working with the Foreign Information Referral Network (FIRN) to help other immigrants new to this country find their footing in their new home. Like many of the people she helped over the years, Vivian herself became a US citizen in 1998. She never forgot her native Sweden and travelled there many times over the years to see her family and friends.

Burial will be on Friday, February 3 at 11 AM at Mount Comfort Cemetery in Alexandria, VA. A Memorial Service will take place at the 1st Presbyterian Church of Howard County in Columbia, MD on March 4 at 11 AM. In lieu of flowers, donations in Vivian’s name can be made to Save the Children.