In the mid-1950s, Dorothy “Dottie” Miller (née Roberts) took up skiing, surfing, and other adventures at a time when that lifestyle was the near exclusive province of men. One day, while surfing in San Onofre, she met Warren Miller, who invited her to join him in a tandem surf contest over the upcoming Memorial Day weekend. They married soon afterwards, on December 21, 1955, and settled on The Strand in Hermosa Beach, where they raised their three children, Scott, Chris, and Kurt.
Warren Miller became the trailblazing, extreme sports filmmaker.
Dottie, with their three kids in tow, often traveled with her husband and his film crew to ski resorts all over the world.
Dottie Miller passed away peacefully on May 22, at age 93.
Dottie was born on September 27, 1931. She was raised by parents, Hilda and Cecil Roberts, with her sister Patricia. Dottie’s journey was one of endless exploration from an early age. Her father, a retired Cavalry officer in the English army, taught her to ride horses in the hills of Griffith Park. She attended St. Mary’s Academy and Mount St. Mary’s College, where she earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Education. She became a teacher, and, for a short time, a United Airlines stewardess.
Though best known as the wife of her filmmaker husband, family and friends knew her as the strong, independent person who first attracted him.
She organized unforgettable gatherings, including neighborhood children’s parades on the Fourth of July, and film previews at the couple’s home. The large Strand home became a summer retreat for stars of Warren’s films, including the great French skier Jean-Claude Killy; Austrian Otto Lang, who is credited with bringing skiing to America; and German skier Wilheim Bogner, whose apparel company introduced stretch ski pants.
When Warren was doing a film for Hollywood Park she became close to the race horse trainer, Charlie Whittingham and his wife Peggy. That friendship endured for 40 years. Dottie was often found in the winners circle when Charlie won a race.
As a decades-long member of the Sandpipers service club, her leadership and dedication were instrumental in the club’s fundraisers. In the 1960s she chaired the annual Fashion Show, Design House, and Holiday Basket. On the tennis courts at Live Oak Park, she developed another circle of friends.
But Dottie also was a critical support person for Warren’s ski film company, based in an office on Pier Avenue, in Hermosa Beach.
During a shoot for a television series Warren was directing in Mammoth Mountain, a crew member, Bob Schneider, failed to show up for an early morning production meeting. Dottie went to his hotel room where she discovered Schneider unconscious and burning up with fever. After being taken to the closest hospital he was diagnosed with meningitis. His parents Bill and Blanca were flown in from Hermosa Beach on a small plane out of Hawthorne airport to say goodbye to their son. A priest administered the last rites. After three days in a coma with his body packed on ice, Bob survived. He married and raised five children, and remained grateful for Dottie’s quick response throughout her life.
Despite the demands of her husband’s expanding film company, which eventually strained their marriage, Dottie was always resilient and courageous. The couple parted amicably after 20 years.
Following her marriage, Dottie returned to her passion for teaching in the Manhattan Beach School District and later worked in real estate development. In 1982, Dottie and builder Ted Fredericks designed and developed a 32-unit, luxury condominium complex in Mammoth Mountain at the base of Canyon Lodge, Sierra Megeve. In the following years, Dottie’s family and friends enjoyed days of skiing with the convenience of a short walk to the lifts.
While on a ski trip to Sun Valley, she met Bill Winterhalter, her devoted companion for the next 34 years. In 1988, Dottie moved to a home overlooking the beautiful hills in San Clemente. Dottie’s creative side came out through her knitting of sweaters for all the grandchildren that included matching outfits for their favorite toys.
Her family wishes to give a special thanks to the staff at Crestavilla in Laguna Niguel, and Dottie’s caregivers Mary Ann Wenger and Elaine Peterson.
Dottie’s legacy of love, adventure, and transformation lives on in her children Chris (Dave Lucero) and Kurt (Alison), her grandchildren Jenna (Kyle De Jane) and Ryan, her sister Patricia (Steve Reno), Lori and Eric Denman, grand niece Dionysius and her longtime companion Bill Winterhalter. A memorial service is planned for later this month to celebrate a life lived fully, passionately, and without limits. ER
