Rita Claire Miller

Rita Claire (Vaughan) Miller, age 81, of Dover, Ohio died on Saturday, January 8th, 2022 in her current residence of Park Village.

She was born on Dec. 1, 1940, in Muskegon, Michigan, the daughter of the late Joseph and Genevieve (Marshall) Vaughan.  In 1958 Rita graduated from Cotter High School in Winona, Minn.

Along with her family, Rita moved to New Philadelphia in 1959. On August 20, 1960, Robert married Rita (Vaughan) and shared nearly 58 years of marriage before his passing on Jan. 11, 2018.

She was a member of St. Joseph Catholic Church, a volunteer for a number of charities, and a caring neighbor and friend.

The second of 14 children, she treasured her parents and siblings and their Catholic faith and Irish heritage, which she continued to share with her family throughout her life. At the age of 14, when her sister contracted polio, she was in charge of her nine other quarantined siblings for two weeks while their parents stayed with their hospitalized daughter.

She enjoyed singing Irish songs and hymns with the family and was a big Notre Dame fan, and a supporter of any athletic teams her family was involved in. Always the tender-hearted soul, her father once said that “Rita would cry when a gas station closed”.  She was a loving and devoted daughter to her parents, a devoted wife, a compassionate mother, a loyal sister, and an eternal friend.

A fiercely intelligent woman, Rita also had an equally fierce sense of humor. Rita will be missed for her kindness and her caring toward others. If you were in Rita’s presence, she would look you in the eye and tell you how beautiful (or handsome) you were depending on what the case may be.

She retired from Tuscarawas County Job and Family Services and previously was employed in banking in New Philadelphia.

In addition to her parents and husband, Rita was preceded in death by her cherished sister Maureen Hess and brother Joseph Vaughan. Rita is survived by her children, Jennifer (Carl) Grant of Cincinnati, and Robert (Loni Dahlinger) Miller of New Philadelphia; her grandchildren, Claire and Samantha Grant and Alexis and Robbie Miller; and one great-granddaughter, Evelynne Miller.

In addition, Rita is survived by her siblings John Vaughan and his wife Joyce; Annette Vaughan; James Vaughan and his wife Jeanne; Patrick Vaughan and his wife Donna; Katherine Ellwood and her husband Tim; David Vaughan; Jeannie DiDonato and her husband David; Thomas Vaughan and his wife Brenda; Michael Vaughan and his wife Kathy; Daniel Vaughan and his wife Marsha and Mark Vaughan and his wife Jennifer, her sister-in-law Carol Woods of New Philadelphia; and brother-in-law, James Davidson. And numerous nieces, nephews, and other relatives also survive.

Visitation will be held Friday, January 14, 2022 from 11:30 to 1 p.m. in St. Joseph Catholic Church, 613 N. Tuscarawas Ave., Dover OH 44622. Father Jimmy Hatfield will celebrate a Mass of Christian Burial in the church beginning at 1 p.m. Burial will follow in Evergreen Burial Park at New Philadelphia. The family requests that all visitors wear masks.

Donations in Rita’s memory may be made to the charity of the donor’s choice or St. Joseph Catholic Church.