Janet Elizabeth (Taylor) Miller, (formerly Janet Spengler), age 84 of Wilmington, Delaware, passed away peacefully on November 24, 2025 at her assisted living residence.
Janet was born in Wilmington on January 11, 1941 to Dorothy (Price) and Arthur Taylor. At a young age, Janet became enthralled with the piano, and once she started playing, she never stopped. She graduated from Mount Pleasant High School in 1959 where she was very involved in the performing arts. She continued her love of music at Lebanon Valley College and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in music education in 1963 as well as a Master of Science degree in music education from Towson University in 1991.
Janet devoted her life to teaching music, beginning her career in Kennett Square, PA, then relocating to New York and New Mexico. Locally, she was known in the Dover area as one of the most sought-after private piano teachers, and her home was a revolving door of piano students every afternoon for whom she organized regular recitals and National Piano Guild auditions. She taught at Arnold Elementary in Camden and William Henry Middle School in Dover, but she spent the majority of her career teaching choral and general music for twenty years at Seaford Middle School. She also was an adjunct professor at Wesley College, Delaware State University, and the University of Delaware. She was a choral member and accompanist in The Singing Players musical theater company for fifteen years and conducted the First State Chorus and The Diamond State Choraliers. After her “retirement” in 2002, she could not stay away from teaching, and she served as the choir director at St. Thomas More Academy and the director of the Wesley United Methodist Church adult chancel choir. Finally, she was the conductor of the University of Delaware’s Osher Lifelong Learning Chorus into her late seventies.
Janet was a leader in music education. She proudly served as the President of the Delaware Music Educators Association (DMEA) and was an active member throughout her career and retirement. Among her many accomplishments, she was a Teacher in Residence for the Delaware State Department of Education where she created the state standards for the arts. Her other professional affiliations include numerous music and educational organizations and professional fraternities. Her most prominent awards included the Delaware Music Teacher of the Year in 1990 and the Jessie Ball du Pont Educator Award in 2001, an award honoring a Delaware teacher who has excelled in and made a significant contribution to music education, made even more special since she was nominated by her daughter, Kristin. She and her second husband, Richard Miller, also established Lebanon Valley College’s Kenneth A. Spengler Memorial Counseling Fund to support therapy and mental health assistance as students navigate college life and beyond.
In addition to music, Janet enjoyed traveling, gardening, reading, attending Westminster Presbyterian Church, singing in the church choir, and watching the Phillies. She was an avid collector of many things, but if you knew Janet, you knew about her immense collection of over 600 ceramic angels. She was given an angel at her birth, and the tradition continued for the rest of her life. No doubt, she is now singing with the angels in heaven.
Janet was preceded in death by her mother, Dorothy (Price) Taylor Simon, her father, Arthur Holt Taylor, her stepfather, Herbert Paul Simon, her infant sister, Ruth Elaine Taylor, her beloved son, Kenneth Arthur Spengler, and her second husband, Richard (Dick) Miller.
She is survived by her daughter, Kristin (Spengler) Zerbe and her son-in-law, Eric Zerbe, her two grandsons, Cameron and Connor Zerbe, her first husband and Kristin’s father, Gary Spengler, her stepchildren, Donna (Kevin) Cooper, Debbie (John) Burg, Rich (Sheri) Miller, and five step-grandchildren, Lynsey and Lauren Cooper, Peter and Natalie Burg, and Brett Miller.
The funeral service will be held at Westminster Presbyterian Church, 10 W. Pleasant Grove Rd., West Chester, PA on December 8, 2025 at 3 pm. Visitation will begin at 2 pm, and a reception will immediately follow the service. Interment will be held privately.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the Delaware Music Educators Association (DMEA), 1556 Hilltop Rd., Downingtown, PA, 19335 (www.delawaremea.org).
For online condolences please visit: mccreryandharra.com
