Wendy Josephine Miller

The Rev. Wendy Josephine (Hill) Miller, 87, of West Chicago, Ill. - a leading author and teacher of Christian spirituality - died October 8, 2025, after entering hospice care in late July following a myelodysplastic syndrome diagnosis. She was accompanied throughout by her family. Her husband and partner in ministry of 65 years, the Rev. Edmond F. Miller, died in October 2024. Their sixth great-grandchild, Peter Morrison Williams, was born the day before her passing.

A pastor and teacher of deep faith, with a gentle and discerning spirit, Rev. Miller worked to restore the practice of contemplative spirituality in the life of the church and academy - particularly in the Mennonite and United Methodist traditions, training generations of laypersons and clergy in spiritual direction and formation. Among her multiple works, she wrote "Invitation to Presence: A Guide to Spiritual Disciplines," which has been translated into multiple languages. As a childhood survivor of World War II England and an immigrant to the United States, Rev. Miller was further dedicated to the biblical mandate of welcoming the stranger and foreigner, always ready to "add another seat to the table."

An Assistant Professor Emeritus of Spiritual Formation at Eastern Mennonite Seminary (EMS) in Harrisonburg, Va., Rev. Miller served there for 19 years, including as campus minister. She was committed to helping persons discover their story within "God's great story," establishing EMS' spiritual formation program and founding training programs for spiritual directors throughout the eastern and south-central United States, and Canada within the Mennonite Church USA (MCUSA) and Canada, and The United Methodist Church. She also consulted with several colleges and universities including Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University and Duke Divinity School. An ordained minister within MCUSA's Virginia Conference, Rev. Miller maintained a private spiritual direction practice until her entering hospice.

Rev. Miller was born March 25, 1938, in Westham, England, in the shadow of Pevensey Castle, to Ivy (Wootton) Hill and Percy Hill. Soon after, her family moved to London, where she lived through the German blitz of World War II, before relocating to Eastbourne in East Sussex on the south coast of England. While attending the European Bible Institute in Paris, she met and fell in love with Edmond, then a young U.S. Air Force airman. She immigrated to the United States in 1959 on the RMS Queen Mary, arriving in New York, where Ed was waiting. They drove in his Volkswagen to Elgin, Ill., to marry, and settled in Chicago, where they began to raise their family. In the late 1960s they traveled to Frankfurt, Germany as missionaries. During their ministry they served churches throughout the Midwest and eastern United States, including congregations in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, raising five children along the way. After her retirement from EMS, they lived in intentional community in Texas and North Carolina, before returning to the Chicago area in 2022.

Rev. Miller earned a Bachelor's degree in religion and philosophy from Iowa Wesleyan University, a Master's degree in church leadership with a concentration in pastoral care and counseling from EMS, and a Master's in Sacred Theology in spiritual theology and spiritual direction from General Theological Seminary in New York City.

In addition to "Invitation" (1995) with Upper Room Books, she also published "Simplicity" (2019) for Abingdon Press' "Holy Living" series; "Come with Me: Daily Living with a New Monastic Rule of Life" (2015) with the Missional Wisdom Foundation; and "Jesus, Our Spiritual Director: A Pilgrimage through the Gospels" (2004) and "Learning to Listen: A Guide for Spiritual Friends" (1993) with Upper Room.

She leaves five children and their spouses, Paul Miller and David Selmer of Maine, David and Julie Miller of Georgia, Mark and Wendy S. Miller of Kansas, Scott and Laura Miller of Illinois, and Heidi Miller and Gary MacDonald of Georgia; 14 grandchildren and their spouses, Hannah and Sam Wiswell of Maine, and Naomi Miller and Brittany Thornton of Barcelona, Spain; Jordan Miller and Jessica Carlson of Alaska, and Colin Miller and fiancée Lee Williams of North Carolina; Micah Miller, Ariana Miller, and Devin Miller and fiancée Sydney Ronan of Kansas; Kari and Chris Williams of Indiana, Kirsten and David Chapman, and Audrey and Ethan Hulgaard of Illinois; and Brynn Yoder of Virginia, Alison MacDonald and partner Robert Hamilton of Nevada, Jonathan and Danielle MacDonald of Colorado, and Joshua MacDonald and partner Stephanie Howard of Texas; and six great-grandchildren, Grayson and Nolan Wiswell; Peter Williams, and Maxwell, Harvey and Lewis MacDonald; three brothers and sisters-in-law, Derek Hill and Isabel Hill of East Sussex, United Kingdom, Peter and Janet Hill of British Columbia, Canada, and Tom and Jidapa Hill of Thailand; a sister-in-law and her husband, Judy and Jerry Miller of Illinois, as well as many cousins, nieces and nephews.

A memorial service will be celebrated Saturday, December 6, at 1:30 p.m. at St. Andrew United Methodist Church, 250 North Gary Ave., Carol Stream, Ill., with Revs. Chan Choi, Wendy S. Miller and Gary MacDonald presiding. The service will be streamed on the church's Facebook and YouTube channels. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to St. Andrew's Food Pantry ministry. The family will have a private interment of ashes at Northside United Methodist Church of Brewster, Mass., at a later date.

To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Wendy Josephine Miller, please visit our flower store.