LaRena M. Miller

Obituary For LaRena M. Miller

LaRena Mary (Cooley) Miller, a loving and supportive wife and mother, passed away peacefully Tuesday, October 31, 2023, at the age of 77. She was surrounded by her family.

LaRena Cooley was born in Eureka, Kansas on 30 July 1946 to Will T. Cooley and Mary Ellen Osborne Cooley of Howard, Kansas. In early 1951 the Cooley family moved to Sierra County New Mexico and began a life-long education and appreciation for the area. The family permanently moved to Truth or Consequences in November of 1951. After graduating from Hot Springs High School in 1964, she studied at Duke University. After a year and half, she decided nursing was not her calling. She then moved to Fort Worth, TX and began working in business as a bookkeeper and found her natural skills were well aligned for organizational management and she excelled.

LaRena returned to Truth or Consequences in 1967 when she met and married her husband of 55 years, Carl W. Miller. She devoted herself to her family. LaRena loved Carl and their two daughters, Debra and Sharon; and provided them with all the encouragement and support that they could accomplish anything.

After raising the family, she obtained a General Studies Associate Degree from New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology in 1994 showing that it is possible to go back to school. LaRena was a strong and intelligent woman as noted by her membership in Mensa.

LaRena was passionate about Sierra County and Southern New Mexico history. Aside from bookkeeping, she made a career in the tourism industry. She enthusiastically shared her knowledge with interested parties through city and county tourism work. LaRena led in the development of the Geronimo Trail Scenic Byway which obtained recognition as a National Scenic Byway in 2005. She continued as director over the scenic byway until her retirement in December of 2022. Her wealth of knowledge, particularly of Sierra County will be missed.

Consistent with LaRena’s passion for the community, she also served on the board of the Hot Springs Cemetery Association.

LaRena will always be remembered for her big laugh, her passion for the local community’s history, and her generous sharing of knowledge to preserve our history. She was a wonderful wife and mother and will be missed every day. Her memory will live on in the hearts of all those who loved her.

LaRena was preceded in death by her parents Will T. Cooley and Mary Ellen Osborn Cooley, and is survived by her husband, Carl W. Miller; daughters - Debra Sue Miller and Sharon D. Miller Rivera; Sharon’s husband, Tony Rivera; grandchildren - Cody Woolf and Haley Woolf; her brother, Theodore W. Cooley, and wife, Eleanor Cooley and their sons - William T. Cooley and James H. Cooley.
Services will be Saturday, November 18, 2023, at 10:00 A.M. at the Church at the Butte followed by graveside services at Vista Memory Gardens. A reception will follow at the Church at the Butte. In lieu of flowers, donations to either the Geronimo Trail National Scenic Byway or the Hot Springs Cemetery Association would be greatly appreciated. The family would also like to thank Kirikos Family Funeral Home, Inc. for all their kindness and assistance during this time.

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