Audrey Ann Miller passed away on April 10, 2023, at the age of 91. Audrey lived her life in a trilogy of California communities: Berkeley & Campbell where she was born and grew up, Marin County where she and her husband Duane raised their kids and she worked as a bookkeeper, and Ferndale where she spent most of her retirement. Although retirement for Audrey meant working just as hard as a volunteer! She gave back to every community she resided in, serving as a school board member and an Audubon Canyon Ranch guide in Marin, and volunteering at the Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge once she moved to Ferndale. She loved to lead interpretive nature walks where she would share her love and knowledge of birds, plants and insects. At any gathering it was common to see Audrey helping kids examine pond water through a microscope or to identify animal skulls. Growing up, the Miller kids would just smile and proudly agree when someone would say, “your mamma wears combat boots.” She really did, and she wore those well-polished boots along many trails, from Point Reyes to Russ Park.

Audrey was also a trailblazer for peace and equality. She stood as a Woman in Black, a group devoted to peace, for nearly a decade, first in front of the Ferndale City hall then the county courthouse in Eureka with three other octogenarians through all sorts of weather. Her jackets were adorned with pins and buttons, her favorite read, “Feminism is the radical notion that women are people.” She was a woman who acted more than she spoke, and those actions were community minded and intended to make every place she lived a better place. If someone or the community needed a hand, Audrey was there to lend it. You might have seen her in one of three Humboldt libraries where she volunteered or at the Humboldt Wildlife Refuge. You might have even seen her mucking at the fairgrounds when the epic horse rescue happened over a decade ago. Most people remember her as the small woman in dark glasses and a big hat, armed with a bag and grabber tool, who picked up trash and recycling along the streets of Ferndale during her daily three miles of walking.

Audrey had not been able to perform her daily walk/trash clean ups for the last several years and Ferndale streets are showing it. As a tribute to Audrey, on your walks around town or just to your front door, lean down and pick up a piece of trash or an old cigarette butt to show you care about your community, both human and nature. As Audrey was a woman of science, after her passing she was taken directly to UCSF Medical School to help further research, the ultimate voluntary donation. Audrey is survived by her amazing grandchildren who she relentlessly doted on, her four kids and their significant others, extended family, and a wide variety of dear friends. A celebration of life will be held from 11:00am-1:00pm Saturday, May 13 at Ferndale City Hall. Wear a hat and clean up the street in your neighborhood or Ferndale before or after the event in honor of Audrey. She would have loved that.

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