206:. She held frequent parties at her nine-bedroom San Francisco mansion, and spent her days smoking, drinking champagne, playing cards and travelling around the world on scuba diving trips. Even so, she was a devout Christian and made a pact with her husband that when one of them died, the other would join a religious order. When her husband died of cancer in 1984, Corky Bowles invited her to join him on his yacht, and proposed. She refused as she had already made up her mind that she now belonged with the Carmelite nuns.
213:, left her mansion overlooking San Francisco Bay before it was sold to a member of the band Metallica. She threw a party at the San Francisco Hilton for 800 guests. She wore a flower crown, and carried a helium balloon with the words "Here I am", so that people could find her in the crowd of 800 attendees. She gave away all of her possessions, and boarded a plane the following day to join the
227:
Miller remained in the convent for the rest of her life, rarely seeing her family. According to one of her sons, Mark Miller, "She was kind of an unusual nun. She didn't sing very well. She was frequently late to her required duties around the convent. She threw sticks for the dogs, which was not
388:"Socialite Gives Up Wealth, Family to Become a Nun : Convents: Ann Russell Miller of San Francisco leads a cloistered life, after 10 children and years of celebrity and philanthropy. By all accounts, she is happy"
236:
Miller died after complications from a stroke on June 5, 2021, aged 92. She was buried on the grounds of the convent in Des
Plaines, Illinois, and her family had a private funeral for her.
598:
593:
362:
329:
547:
472:
363:"Saying goodbye to 'Nun Grandma': The San Francisco philanthropist, widow and mother of 10 who gave it all up to spend her last 31 years in a Des Plaines monastery"
297:"From high society to a higher calling / The San Francisco socialite had it all – 10 children, friends, wealth – but she traded it in for life in a convent"
169:
Russell had dreams of becoming a nun, but instead fell in love and married
Richard K. Miller on June 15, 1948. Richard was an heir to the
613:
522:
188:
in San
Francisco, holding a spot on 22 organization boards and donating money to various causes. According to a 2005 feature in the
178:
174:
296:
555:
480:
221:. She announced that "The first two-thirds of my life were devoted to the world. The last third will be devoted to my soul."
603:
155:
181:; Richard eventually rose to the vice presidency of that company. She and Richard had a total of ten children.
253:"Sister Mary Joseph of the Trinity, socialite who left her old life behind and took holy orders – obituary".
608:
190:
387:
268:
218:
73:
588:
583:
255:
260:
151:
115:
473:"Onetime SF Socialite Ann Miller, Who Left the City to Become a Nun 30 Years Ago, Dies at 92"
330:"Sr. Mary Joseph of the Trinity, socialite who became 'kind of an unusual nun,' dead at 91"
203:
577:
195:
147:
97:
54:
446:
199:
170:
272:
414:
214:
161:
She was an only child after the death of her sister Donna when she was young.
131:
264:
185:
127:
93:
523:"The US Socialite Who Gave Up Her Wealth, Left Her Family to Become a Nun"
126:, O.Carm (October 30, 1928 – June 5, 2021) was an American
210:
209:
On her 61st birthday in 1989, Miller announced she would be entering a
177:, the founder of Pacific Lighting Corporation, which eventually became
447:"The US socialite who gave it all up to become a Carmelite nun"
477:
SFist – San
Francisco News, Restaurants, Events, & Sports
259:. London (UK): Telegraph Media Group Limited. June 12, 2021.
111:
103:
89:
81:
62:
36:
23:
413:
8:
356:
354:
352:
350:
20:
599:21st-century American Roman Catholic nuns
594:20th-century American Roman Catholic nuns
175:Christian Otto Gerberding "C.O.G." Miller
158:. Her mother was Louise Herring Russell.
245:
130:who left her wealth behind to become a
507:"Sister Mary Joseph of the Trinity".
224:Her children's reactions were mixed.
7:
502:
500:
498:
441:
439:
437:
323:
321:
319:
317:
290:
288:
286:
284:
282:
415:"Richard Miller Claims Ann Russell"
328:O'Donnell, Maureen (June 8, 2021).
228:allowed. Also, she was my mother."
215:Sisters of Our Lady of Mount Carmel
14:
548:"Onetime SF Socialite Ann Miller"
150:on October 30, 1928. Her father,
179:Pacific Gas and Electric Company
554:. June 8, 2021. Archived from
479:. June 8, 2021. Archived from
361:Rumore, Kori (June 13, 2021).
295:Lara, Adair (March 27, 2005).
173:. He was also the grandson of
16:American socialite (1928–2021)
1:
146:Mary Ann Russell was born in
430:– via Newspapers.com.
422:. June 16, 1948. p. 25
630:
420:The San Francisco Examiner
136:Mary Joseph of the Trinity
85:Mary Joseph of the Trinity
614:People from San Francisco
156:Southern Pacific Railroad
191:San Francisco Chronicle
184:She became a prominent
219:Des Plaines, Illinois
194:she was friends with
171:Folger coffee fortune
74:Des Plaines, Illinois
134:nun known as Sister
604:American socialites
394:. October 29, 1994
124:Ann Russell Miller
28:Ann Russell Miller
392:Los Angeles Times
334:Chicago Sun-Times
152:Donald J. Russell
121:
120:
116:Donald J. Russell
621:
568:
567:
565:
563:
544:
538:
537:
535:
533:
519:
513:
512:
511:. June 17, 2021.
504:
493:
492:
490:
488:
469:
463:
462:
460:
458:
443:
432:
431:
429:
427:
417:
410:
404:
403:
401:
399:
384:
378:
377:
375:
373:
358:
345:
344:
342:
340:
325:
312:
311:
309:
307:
292:
277:
276:
250:
82:Other names
69:
57:, California, US
51:October 30, 1928
50:
48:
41:Mary Ann Russell
21:
629:
628:
624:
623:
622:
620:
619:
618:
574:
573:
572:
571:
561:
559:
558:on June 9, 2021
546:
545:
541:
531:
529:
521:
520:
516:
506:
505:
496:
486:
484:
483:on June 9, 2021
471:
470:
466:
456:
454:
445:
444:
435:
425:
423:
412:
411:
407:
397:
395:
386:
385:
381:
371:
369:
367:Chicago Tribune
360:
359:
348:
338:
336:
327:
326:
315:
305:
303:
294:
293:
280:
252:
251:
247:
242:
234:
167:
144:
77:
71:
67:
58:
52:
46:
44:
43:
42:
32:
29:
26:
17:
12:
11:
5:
627:
625:
617:
616:
611:
609:Carmelite nuns
606:
601:
596:
591:
586:
576:
575:
570:
569:
539:
514:
494:
464:
453:. June 8, 2021
433:
405:
379:
346:
313:
278:
244:
243:
241:
238:
233:
230:
204:Phyllis Diller
166:
163:
143:
140:
119:
118:
113:
109:
108:
105:
101:
100:
91:
87:
86:
83:
79:
78:
72:
70:(aged 92)
64:
60:
59:
53:
40:
38:
34:
33:
30:
27:
24:
15:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
626:
615:
612:
610:
607:
605:
602:
600:
597:
595:
592:
590:
587:
585:
582:
581:
579:
557:
553:
549:
543:
540:
528:
524:
518:
515:
510:
503:
501:
499:
495:
482:
478:
474:
468:
465:
452:
448:
442:
440:
438:
434:
421:
416:
409:
406:
393:
389:
383:
380:
368:
364:
357:
355:
353:
351:
347:
335:
331:
324:
322:
320:
318:
314:
302:
298:
291:
289:
287:
285:
283:
279:
274:
270:
266:
262:
258:
257:
256:The Telegraph
249:
246:
239:
237:
231:
229:
225:
222:
220:
216:
212:
207:
205:
201:
197:
196:Loretta Young
193:
192:
187:
182:
180:
176:
172:
165:Personal life
164:
162:
159:
157:
153:
149:
148:San Francisco
141:
139:
137:
133:
129:
125:
117:
114:
110:
106:
102:
99:
98:Carmelite nun
95:
92:
90:Occupation(s)
88:
84:
80:
75:
65:
61:
56:
55:San Francisco
39:
35:
22:
19:
560:. Retrieved
556:the original
551:
542:
530:. Retrieved
526:
517:
508:
485:. Retrieved
481:the original
476:
467:
455:. Retrieved
450:
424:. Retrieved
419:
408:
396:. Retrieved
391:
382:
370:. Retrieved
366:
337:. Retrieved
333:
304:. Retrieved
300:
254:
248:
235:
226:
223:
208:
200:Nancy Reagan
189:
183:
168:
160:
145:
135:
123:
122:
68:(2021-06-05)
66:June 5, 2021
18:
589:2021 deaths
584:1928 births
578:Categories
273:2540280641
240:References
154:, chaired
142:Early life
47:1928-10-30
552:sfist.com
509:The Times
265:0307-1235
217:based in
186:socialite
132:Carmelite
128:socialite
94:Socialite
527:NDTV.com
451:BBC News
426:June 14,
372:June 14,
269:ProQuest
104:Children
562:June 8,
532:June 9,
487:June 9,
457:June 9,
398:June 9,
339:June 9,
306:June 9,
211:convent
301:SFGATE
271:
263:
202:, and
112:Father
31:O.Carm
25:Mother
232:Death
564:2021
534:2021
489:2021
459:2021
428:2021
400:2021
374:2021
341:2021
308:2021
261:ISSN
76:, US
63:Died
37:Born
580::
550:.
525:.
497:^
475:.
449:.
436:^
418:.
390:.
365:.
349:^
332:.
316:^
299:.
281:^
267:.
198:,
138:.
107:10
96:,
566:.
536:.
491:.
461:.
402:.
376:.
343:.
310:.
275:.
49:)
45:(
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.