Mary Ellen Miller: A Lifetime and Legacy of Generosity

Mary Ellen Miller, a longtime Wenatchee resident, left an enduring mark on the community through her generosity and dedication to residents of our region. Born to Irish immigrants, she grew up on her family’s apple and pear orchard in Selah. Mary Ellen went to college in California, then moved to Wenatchee to become a supervisor for Chelan County’s Foster Care program. Shortly after, she met and fell in love with George F. Miller, a visionary fruit broker and pioneer of the Wenatchee Valley. They married in 1938.

Throughout her lifetime, Mary Ellen fully embraced her chosen community, and her contributions were numerous and profound. In 1996, she was recognized with the prestigious A.Z. Wells award by the Central Washington Hospital Foundation (now Confluence Health Foundation) for her dedication to healthcare and philanthropic contributions to the community. Her legacy was solidified through the Mary Ellen Miller Endowment, a gift to the Confluence Health Foundation that ensured she would always have a direct and meaningful impact on the knowledge and skills of our dedicated local healthcare workforce. Today, Mary Ellen’s endowment funds speakers and events during Nurses Week.

Mary Ellen Miller’s monumental contributions have left a lasting and powerful impact on Wenatchee, embodying her spirit of generosity, loyalty, and relentless dedication to bettering the lives of others.