• Courtesy
• Amy Miller

Amy Kathleen Miller, born on May 22, 1981, was the third child of Albert Miller and Colleen Miller Hale. She is survived by her mother, Colleen, and stepfather, David Hale; her brother, Jeffrey, his wife, Jennifer, and their daughter, Charlotte Miller; and her brother, Peter, and his daughter, Maddalena Miller.

Growing up as the youngest of three, Amy honed a unique, razor-sharp wit and a lightning-fast sense of humor. In a family of fast talkers, she learned that she needed to have something to say, had to get it out quickly, and, most importantly, it had to be funny.

These skills led her to the theater while she was at Burlington High School, where she thrived in the limelight and never shied away from center stage. She went on to attend Marymount Manhattan and completed her studies in writing for film and television at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. Later, she lived in Philadelphia, where she managed various restaurants, and in Chicago, where she practiced stand-up comedy. Those who knew her will remember laughing in her presence, laughing at the world around us and our human lives within it.

It could have been her love for the rush that other people’s laughter brought her that led Amy down what sadly proved to be an irretrievable path of addiction. She met her husband, Dale Austin, in recovery, and cared for him as he passed away from cancer. Dale and Amy’s lives will be celebrated in Burlington, Vt., in August 2024.

If you knew her, you remember laughing. You remember her laughter, punctuated by that smile, relishing what she could make happen in other people just by using words. You also remember your own laughter, sounds of utter joy coming from deep inside you, far beyond your control, but not beyond hers.