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Seventy years ago this last Sunday, June 26th, Diane Lee Miller entered the world, and I am proud to say that she is my mom. She has been, along with my dad, the cornerstone of my life and has always been there for my sisters and me. Her guidance and morals have not only molded me, but have been passed along to my children, who everyday become better human beings on their way to
adulthood.
 My mom is a true San Gabriel Valley girl, even though she was born in Los Angeles and lived in Glendale for the first fifteen months of her life. My grandparents, Fred and Enid, or “B” and Papa as we grandkids referred to them, moved to Monterey Park where they opened their first flower shop on Garfield Avenue. As time passed they purchased the southeast corner of Garfield and Emerson Avenues and it was not only home, it was also the location of Monterey Park Florist for many years to come.
Diane was an only child. In what would become a family trait to this day, her parents were very involved in their community’s activities. My grandfather was a member of the Lions Club and a member of the Planning Commission. After his time on the Commission, the City wanted to honor him by naming a street after him. He told them that there were too many Miller Streets and he asked if they could name it after his daughter. They agreed and Diane Way still exists today in Monterey Park.
My mom attended Mark Keppel High School and graduated in the winter of 1953. Back then there were both winter and summer graduations in high school. A year later she married my father and a year after that I came along; my parents were never ones to waste any time. I was followed by my sister Sue in 1957, and my sister Jill in 1960 and our family was complete.
My mom and dad were very involved in many aspects of our lives which, despite being in the midst of the turbulent sixties, kept us close. My mom was my den mother when I was when in cub scouts and very involved in the PTA. My dad was my scoutmaster when I got to boy scouts and was the manager of my little league team when I played at Sunnyslope Little League. Our family was very tight and everyone was involved in many activities.
As we got to our teenage years we would take family vacations in Mexico and other places in and around California. Even though we had a family cabin in the Eastern Sierras my parents both enjoyed camping, which we did a lot. Even when going to Mexico we would camp out at beaches with other families, and have a massive fire pit in the center of a circle of trailers. We would all gather in the evenings after all the kids would spend the day motorcycle and dune buggy riding, while the adults were out fishing or clamming. At the end of the day, my mom and others would whip up fabulous dinners. These are great memories.
Our house here in Temple City was always decorated in the latest styles, a trait that my mom inherited from my Grandma “B” who was quite the decorator. My mom took the creative knowledge she learned from her mother and took it to a whole new level. She was Martha Stewart way before anybody knew who Martha Stewart was. When Martha Stewart became the home uber decorator and creative diva, all those who know my mom began calling her Martha.
This was especially true when she would have a dinner for more than say, her and my dad. Every dinner at my mom’s house felt like a dinner party. She always made it look and feel like an event. The tables were works of art and looked as though they were plucked from the pages of a food magazine. Napkins folded in unique shapes, handmade place cards, and floral centerpieces designed and made by her from her fertile imagination.
As a grandmother she truly shines. It’s as though this was a role she was born to play. When my kids were young, going to Grammy’s as all the grandkids call her, was always fun and more times than not a learning experience. I don’t know how or where she came up with the myriad of ideas for things to do, but whenever it was time to pick the kids up they were slow in going. Because most of the time they were still heavily involved in whatever project Grammy had come up with that day.
Through the years she had developed a massive battery of projects that could be done at a moment’s notice with just a few common household items. She is kind of like the MacGyver of the arts and crafts world. Give her a little yarn and construction paper and she can direct you on how to build a life size model of the San Gabriel Mission.
My favorite times that the kids spent at her house were the days when the agenda was to make cookies. Martha Stewart would never make cookies from a pre-made refrigerated roll that you buy at the store and neither would Diane. That would never do. They were always made from scratch, as is anything she cooks. With the exception of a few experimental dishes that went array through the years, they have always been delicious.
There was nothing better than coming to pick up the kids on one of these “cookie days” and opening the kitchen door, being met by the scent of freshly baked cookies, and the sight of my kids sitting at the kitchen table playing Mexican Train, a domino game, with my mom. The cookies were already placed in a metal cookie tin ready for their journey to my cookie jar. Year after year, it was always a Hallmark moment and I ones that I will never forget and I am sure neither will the kids.
As I have chronicled in the past few months, my parents have sold their house here in Temple City and are dividing their time between their house in Mexico and the cabin in the Eastern Sierras. They have great groups of friends in both places who, with the active social scenes in both spots, are now the lucky ones who are reaping the benefits of having Martha in their midst. I hope they appreciate her as much as we did when she lived just around the corner.
So Happy Birthday Martha, I mean Mom. You make wherever you are a prettier, tastier, and better place.
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