Alvera Marie Miller

Alvera Marie Miller of Jessup, MD, passed away on Saturday, January 1, 2011 at the Hospice of the Chesapeake's Tate House in Linthicum, MD at the age of 84. Alvera was born on October 7, 1926 in Baltimore, MD to the late Albert and Jeannette (Higdon) Bendix.

"It's just unreal," she would often say. She'd say that about a plan to build a mall at Arundel Mills or the bill that would result from one of her cat's encounters with a raccoon. She raised a family and had a full career.

Alvera and her father ran a building and loan in Raynor Heights for many years. Her involvement in the community continued after her marriage and move to Jessup in 1949. Both the semi-rural community of Jessup and the shy newlywed would change dramatically over the decades.

The Army at Fort Meade employed Alvera as a secretary in her early years and as a budget analyst as she closed in on retirement. Her budget analyst position moved to Fort Holabird in the early 1970s and she retired in 1973.

She became a major participant in the Jessup Volunteer Fire Department, serving on its Board of Directors for many years and in its Ladies Auxiliary. In 1965 she served as the state president of the Maryland Ladies Auxiliaries.

Alvera was a pivotal member of the Jessup Improvement Association, chairing its meetings and organizing the monthly Pancake Breakfasta