Valerie Lee Miller

Val Miller of Medford, formerly of Walpole, passed away peacefully on May 22, 2023.  She was 71.

Val graduated from Walpole High School in 1969.  She was active in the Rainbow Girls of the Congregational Church and was the youngest worthy advisor ever installed.  Her maturity set her apart at a young age.  Val graduated from Northeastern University School of Nursing in 1974, and did her co-op at Boston Children's Hospital.  She had wanted to be a nurse since she was 7 years old.  As a high school student, she worked in a local nursing home run by the Kennedy Family's nurse.  The nurse encouraged Val to obtain her BS from a college and not just earn a practical certificate LPN.  Upon graduating from NU, Val was hired fulltime by BCH.  She was the youngest person they had ever hired as an OR nurse.  She said the surgeons would work faster and faster to see if she could keep up.  Val always did, she said, "In the OR you have to anticipate what the surgeon needs and not just wait to be asked".  Over her almost 50-year career at Boston Children's Hospital, she assisted in operations on thousands of children.  Some patients were the size of Coke cans.  She said, "I love working with children. They are very resilient and never complain. unlike whiney adults." Val even made hand puppets to distract the children before surgery so they would be calmer.  Before retiring, she was head of OR billing at BHC where her years of experience were an invaluable asset.  She knew everything that would be performed or used during a surgery.  She said she never felt sad working around sick children because she focused on all the good BHC did for the young patients.   Val was extremely proud of her service at BHC, and was thankful for NU's co-op program that helped her get her foot in the door.

Val loved to sing and went to California with the Boston Women's Rainbow Chorus for a national competition.  She liked to play gin rummy and joker rummy.  TV watching was her favorite thing in later life.  She liked Jeopardy, General Hospital and Law & Order.  On the morning she died, she was watching TV.  Her wife, Lynn Wood said," She went quietly into TV Land".  Her stepson, Dr. James Wood, gave her the nickname "Goo Goo".  If she fell asleep before supper, she would immediately wake up if he made the sound of a baby.  Her grandchildren always called her "Nana Goo Goo".

Val was always upbeat and friendly.  Her colleagues at BCH always appreciated her kindness and willingness to help.  She had an incredible work ethic that she attributed to her German and Swedish background. While working at home as head of OR Billing, she sometimes put in  10 or 12 hour days. ''The work has to get done", she said. She devoted her entire life to BCH and the children that they serve.  "I loved what I did and I never wanted to work anywhere else", she said.

Val is survived by her wife, Lynn Wood of Medford; her stepson Dr. James Wood and his wife Dr. Valerie Wood and grandchildren Justin Wood and Jessica Wood all of Colchester, Vermont.

A Memorial Gathering will take place Friday, June 9th, 4:00-8:00 P.M. at Anderson-Bryant Funeral Home, 4 Common St., Stoneham. A Memorial Service will be held Saturday at 10:00 A.M. at the funeral home followed by burial in Lindenwood Cemetery, Stoneham.   In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to BCH,giving.childrenshospital.org