Jeanne Miller Obituary

Jeanne Seidel Miller, 99, of New Haven IN, died on March 22, 2025, at The Towne House, whose staff were immensely supportive and kind. In an 8th grade speech, Jeanne announced that she would be an attorney and pursued that dream tenaciously. She skipped both her final year at South Side High School and Indiana University, attending IU's law school where she graduated first in her class in 1948. With law firms unwilling to hire women, she opened a solo civil practice in New Haven and became the first woman attorney in private practice in Allen County. Jeanne was a distinguished attorney who opened doors for women in the legal profession and worked for judicial reform. She was deeply engaged in bar matters, serving as the first woman president of the Indiana State Bar Association. She was a long-time member of the Indiana Supreme Court Disciplinary Commission; chair of the Indiana Commission on Judicial Selection and Reform; and president of the Continuing Education Forum. She was a zealous advocate for her clients and could be strident in her support of women in the judiciary, once leading a group of ten women attorneys in choir robes to protest the lack of women representation in trial courts. Jeanne served as president of the East Allen County School Board; was a trustee of her beloved Indiana University in Bloomington; and was a director and president of the Indiana Purdue Foundation of Fort Wayne. She received the Ralph E. Broyles Medal for her significant contributions to the IU Fort Wayne campus and the IU Distinguished Alumni Award. She was a delegate to Republican State Conventions in the 1960's and served on the board of the Allen County Historical Society. Jeanne, a lifetime Lutheran, was a member of Trinity English Lutheran Church. Always competitive, she was a fierce bridge player, passionate IU supporter, expert on the Supreme Court's history, meticulous genealogist, and dedicated student of Spanish. She treasured her "Jolly Girls" who maintained a lifetime of close friendships since elementary school. For the last 18 years she enjoyed many friendships at The Towne House. Jeanne and her husband Mickey, also an attorney, frequently traveled in the U.S. and abroad and enjoyed winters in Naples, Florida. She was a supportive and loving mother to her three children, each of whom became lawyers, to their spouses and to her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, all of whom were inspired by her strong spirit, determination and integrity. Vibrant until her recent decline, she will be deeply missed. Jeanne was predeceased by her parents Carl Seidel and Adah Gumpper Seidel, her husband Mickey M. Miller and her daughter Marjorie Miller. She is survived by her brother William Seidel of Irvine, Calif. and cousin Edward Seidel of Wilmington, N.C.; sons Ward (Mary McDonald) and Carl (Marianne); grandchildren Kathryn Sims (Austin), Joseph Miller (Deanna), Elizabeth Stuby (Ben), Claire Hutchins, Alexander Hutchins, and Rachel Hutchins; and six great-grandchildren.

Funeral services will be held at The Towne House Retirement Center's chapel, 2209 St. Joe Center Road, Fort Wayne, on Saturday, April 5, 2025, at 1:00 pm, with visitation at 12:00 pm. In lieu of flowers memorials may be made to Trinity English Lutheran Church or to donor's choice. Condolences can be left at www.divinemercyfuneralhome.com.