Sharyn Bills Miles passed away peacefully in Meridian, Idaho on February 9, 2025.
She was born in Chicago in 1939 to Charles and Anne and grew up a lover of reading, music, dance, and Lake Michigan.
She graduated from UCLA in the early 1960s, launching a career as a writer and journalist at a time when being a career woman was still revolutionary. Her longest tenure was at the American Hospital Association, where she was part of an extraordinary cohort of women who represented the best of female friendship, some of whom remain connected to this day.
She married Ron Bills in 1969, entering a joyful marriage characterized by travel, great food, music, wine, books, and good times with friends. She and Ron were the best of friends until his death in 1995. Once their only child Eva (known as Eve) was born, as Sharyn would say, “they never left the baby behind”. Her bond with her daughter was one of the great joys of her life.
In 2006 she left her native Chicago to build a home in Fearrington Village, NC, one of her proudest accomplishments. As a self-described “water baby”, she reveled in her proximity to North Carolina’s Outer Banks and spent many happy days there. Shortly thereafter she was fortunate enough to find love again with Tim Miles, who she met on an Elderhostel trip to California. Sharyn and Tim married in 2009 and alternated time between their respective homes in North Carolina and Albuquerque until eventually settling full time in Albuquerque.
After Tim passed away in 2021, Sharyn relocated to Idaho to be close to her daughter Eve, finding new delights in the beauty of the Mountain West.
She was a passionate world traveller, starting with her first trip to Italy at the age of 28, and spending time in countries as diverse as Germany, Morocco, and Hong Kong. She and Ron were particularly drawn to France, traveling the country extensively throughout their marriage.
Although Ron carried the original mantle of chief wine lover, she carried on his legacy, establishing a tasting group with her daughter that brought their appreciation to an entirely new generation and is still reverberating.
Her love of music, and moving to music, was enduring. Her daughter watched, astonished, as she was grabbed by a perfect stranger at age 75 and rumba’d down the street to a Cuban melody as they strolled through Key West. She particularly loved flamenco music. Even in the final stages of her life, any Gipsy Kings song would light her up in an instant.
She is survived by her daughter Eve Lacivita (Jamie) and bonus kids Laura Bexfield (David) and Brian Miles.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Coastal Studies Institute . Or just turn on the Gipsy Kings.