Esther Louise (Bonnet) Miller-Strange

Mom, or Esther L. Miller-Strange, had a long and spectacular life in Austin, TX, New York City, NY as an Eastern Airlines flight attendant until she met on a blind date with her late husband, Allen Lee Miller, from Alta Loma, TX, then a student at the University of Texas - Austin. They were married for 29-years in Dallas, TX, until his death. Esther was one of 11 "Bonnet" siblings all of whom she adored. In 1993 she met Lloyd K. Strange while still in Dallas, TX, both working at Mobile Oil Research & Development Lab and both retired from there in 1996 and married. In 1997 Esther and husband moved to Kerrville, TX; they both enjoyed the Texas Hill Country and German-Texan Heritage Society where they met many dear friends. Lloyd Strange passed away in 2006 in Kerrville, TX.

Widowed, Esther began traveling the world. She visited four of the six inhabitable continents multiple times:  much of N. America such as Alaska, Canada, Mexico, and Belize, to Asia (Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, and Cambodia). Also, she traveled to Europe twice: Italy, Spain, Germany where our ancestors were from (Charlottenburg, Germany), with her sister Mildred Bonnet-Hammack doing family genealogy as far back as the 1640's, and traveled to Le Mans-Chambons-Mentoulles of the Cluson Valley near Lyon, France and in between Turin, Italy and Lyon, France. The "Bonnet clan" were Waldensians (or also known as the Vaudois,"The Poor of Lyons") in the Piedmont region of Italy in April 1655, escaping the Piedmont Easter Massacre of and fleeing to Charlottenburg, Germany, when Countess Elisabeth Charlotte of Holzappel--Schaumburg took the survivors in for protection. Esther went to S. America: twice to Lima, Peru and Machu Picchu the Inca citadel. Yes, Esther loved with a fervent passion not only for our family genealogy, but naturally traveling the world as much as possible... first as a flight attendant with Eastern Airlines, then as a very respected genealogist in the German-Texan Heritage Society for many years. For her it was the perfect match and made her ecstatic to see these sites, people, cultures, and absorb past lives of her own ancestors before arriving in Texas.

While in France and Germany, Esther confirmed her direct ancestor Philipp Daniel Bonnet (sometimes spelled Phillip) had arrived at the port of Indianola, Texas in 1845 just months before the Republic was annexed into the United States making Esther a Daughter of the Republic of Texas and 7th-generation Texan growing up outside of Austin, TX, something she was very proud to be and kindly, politely shared with other DRT members. Her zeal for life, its past, present, and future, in an intimate historical context, will be greatly missed by her endearing friends and closest family.

Esther L. Miller-Strange was preceded in death by her parents, Felix Milton Bonnet and Blanche Bulah-Preece from Leander, TX, and Travis, TX, respectively. Esther is survived by two children, a son (myself, Dwain Allen Miller) and daughter Carolyn Louise Miller, two grandchildren (in Temple and Conroe, TX), and two great grandchildren (in Temple, TX).

Rest in peace mom, you will always be loved, dearly missed with many many fond, hilarious memories by those closest to you. Here's a glass of Pinot Grigio for you Mom (her all-time favorite), and an El Presidente margarita, also her very favorite. Mom loved to host and laugh with family and friends.

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