Lisa Morger-Miller

Lisa Geryl Morger-Miller, beloved wife, mother, sister, aunt and friend, passed on to heaven, peacefully surrounded by the loving arms of her family, on Sept. 18, 2015, in Missoula, Montana. Although she lost the battle to ampullary cancer, she won the war of life and is now in the presence of Our Lord and Savior.

Lisa was born January 14, 1960, in Great Falls, Montana, the sixth child of Victoria (Axtman) and Wallace Morger. She was raised in Fort Benton and attended schools there, a proud member of the FBHS Class of 1978. She participated in plays, sports, cheerleading, speech and debate. She was honored as one of the class speakers at her high school graduation ceremony in 1978. Due to her eager willingness to help with the family’s fishing-worm business as a little girl, she was dubbed by her father as “Lisa Geryl Worm-Picker” or “Lisa GWP”, a nickname she proudly wore for the rest of her life. It was that spunkiness that defined her entire life: a woman not afraid to live on the edge of the frontier or comfort; a willing and generous helpmate to her husband, children, and extended family; and a girl with a bit of mischief, loving laughter and having fun.

Lisa attended the University of Montana and received a bachelor of science degree in elementary education in 1982. It was there in 1980 where she met her soulmate, the love of her life, John Jay Miller. They were married in Fort Benton on July 10, 1982.

John and Lisa began their teaching careers in Froid, Montana, from 1983 to 1985, where Lisa taught K-3. In 1985, they moved to the southeast Alaska Tlingit/Haida village of Angoon, Alaska, on Admiralty Island. She loved going out in the skiff to check her crab pots in the bay and having time to raise their baby Jordan. In 1987, the Millers moved to the central Alaska Athabascan village of Nenana, where two more babies, Gerald and Victoria, were born to them. In 1990, they moved to the Matanuska Valley, settling in Wasilla, Alaska, for 16 years. Lisa was a dedicated full-time mom of her three little ones until their youngest, Victoria, was in kindergarten. She returned to teaching in 1993 at Tanaina Elementary and then transferred to Iditarod Elementary in 1996 until 2003.

During this time, Lisa received her M.A. in education information technology from Western Oregon University in 1999 and her Administrative Certification from National University in 2000. She received the prestigious Alaska “British Petroleum Teacher of Excellence Award” in 2001, while teaching fourth grade at Iditarod Elementary. Lisa served as principal of Goose Bay Elementary, the largest elementary school in Alaska, from 2003-2006.

Wanting to be closer to family, she and John moved back to Montana. She was principal of Arlee Elementary for five years. Most recently, she and John moved into new positions with Poplar schools in 2013, before she had to retire due to her health in 2014.

Excellence was evident in everything that Lisa did, from raising her three children and making a home, to devotion to her husband and the way she embraced her profession. Her students and her teaching staffs have been inspired and changed by her love of teaching and learning and by her compassion for them.

In the school year of 2013-14, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She had a mastectomy and more surgery, followed by many months of chemotherapy, all the while teaching her fourth-grade students in Poplar. Just when she thought that cancer was behind her, she was diagnosed in June 2014 with cancer of the Ampulla Vader, a new type. Despite the grueling schedule of faraway doctor appointments and more chemotherapy and surgeries, she remained positive and graceful even in the direst circumstances. With beauty and joy, she and John were able to see their daughter Victoria married to Justin Townsend this last May in Fort Benton. Her willingness to share her journey with great dignity has made a huge impact on her family, friends and community.

Lisa is survived by: Her devoted husband of 33 years, John Jay Miller; her beloved children, Jordan Miller (Adrian Button) of Billings, Gerald Miller of San Francisco, California, and Victoria Townsend (Justin Townsend) of San Francisco, California; her siblings, Valerie Morger (Mark Pyrak)of Fort Benton, Randy Morger of Fort Benton, Venetta Morger (John Wood) of the Woodlands, Texas, Darcy Morger-Grovenstein (Glenn) of Prescott Valley, Arizona, Shane (Geri) Morger of Ventura, California, Brian Morger of Great Falls, Wallis Morger Bryan (Van) of Bozeman; brother-in-law, Gregory Bonilla of Helena; and stepmom Muncie Morger of Fort Benton, as well as more than two dozen nieces, nephews and great nieces/nephews. She was preceded in death by her mother, Victoria (Axtman) Morger; her father, Wallace Morger; and her sister Audra Morger-Bonilla.

As per her wishes, Lisa will have memorial services at Garden City Funeral Home in Missoula on Friday, September 25, 2015, at 11 a.m. Her ashes will be buried at her mother’s grave at Riverside Cemetery in Fort Benton on July 10, 2016.

Memorials can be made to the following in Lisa’s name: The Victoria A. Morger/Audra Morger-Bonilla Scholarship (Fort Benton High School, Fort Benton, Montana.) or The Lisa Morger-Miller P.E. Fund at Goose Bay Elementary (Wasilla) to also honor P.E. teacher Nancy Blake.

If Lisa were here right now she would say, “ Ride your bike until you feel the wind in your hair, laugh until your sides hurt and even then get in some more, hold your kids tight and read them a book, teach the world something new, stick up for the underdog, make a good campfire and enjoy the night, root for the home team like the Montana Griz or the Fort Benton Longhorns, say ‘hi’ to your neighbor, don’t be afraid to be sentimental, smell the lilacs and the peonies! Embrace the beauty of life and love.”