Ann Miller Burgoon

Born prematurely on March 15th, 1934, in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania(weighing only 3.5 pounds) to parents Margaret Cunningham Miller and Paul Horton Miller, it has been said that Ann was “small at birth but large in life”. She attended Latrobe High School in Latrobe, PA  where she met her future husband Bennett(Ben or “Bim”) Burgoon III  and they soon became sweethearts. She was well-liked in Latrobe and remembered for driving a bright yellow Jeepster around town.

After graduation, she attended business school in Pittsburgh,  taking the train each weekday morning from Latrobe.  It was said the conductor would watch for her yellow Jeepster and always hold the train if she was running late.

Completing business school, Ann then worked at Vanadium Alloy Steel in Latrobe and later got a job at Penn State University. She and Ben were married on January 28th 1956 and honeymooned in Washington D.C.

By 1962, Ann had given birth to three children and the young family moved across the country to Scottsdale Arizona, following Ann’s parents and drawn by job opportunities and later a position for Ben at Motorola. She and the family also lived in Phoenix(Arcadia) and Cave Creek(Rancho Manana). The family spent summers in the high country in Pinetop Arizona. She had two more children, fraternal twin boys Casey and Christian, in 1971.

Ann loved gardening and was constantly “putzing” with her plants outdoors throughout life. This love coincided with a fascination for birds and Ann would make several trips through the years with birding groups in Arizona. The family had interests on Sanibel Island Florida, where Ann loved to walk the beach and identify the myriad shells.

She enjoyed the comradery of golf with her friends and family over the years and played in Pinetop the last week of her life--in her 86th year.

She was an excellent and diligent cook, and her family will always remember “famous” meals she prepared like  beef stroganoff, spaghetti with meatballs and “doctored up” molasses baked beans.

 A recent birthday found Ann among family at her beloved Sugar Bowl in Scottsdale, with her favorites: turkey salad and a chocolate soda.

Ann passed away peacefully on September 19th, 2020, at Summit Hospital in Show Low Arizona, surrounded by her husband and all five of her children, with “September Song” playing sweetly and softly.

She was preceded in death by her brother Paul Horton Miller Jr.(Jay) and is survived by husband Ben and children Ben, Amy, Brian, Christian and Casey Burgoon,  and 9 grandchildren.

A celebration of her life will be held once social gatherings can more easily be arranged.

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