Tess Miller (Lane) has passed away after a long, hard fought 6-year battle with papillary thyroid carcinoma with metastasis throughout her entire body. She received excellent care from the Cleveland Clinic, and when their job was done, she was placed into the loving hands of Gentiva Hospice.

There is no way to quickly summarize the life of Tess Miller. She was great, she did great things, she was kind, she was intelligent, she was witty, and full of love; the list could go on for pages and pages. Anyone who had the pleasure to know Tess and speak with her might say she was quite humble about her accomplishments throughout life. Although we always told her we were so proud of her, sitting down to write this has made it incredibly clear how special and multifaceted she was.

Tess was born and raised in Mount Vernon, Ohio, where she graduated from Mount Vernon Senior High School in 1990. In 1999, at the age of 26 and the mother of a four-year-old, Tess became a licensed title insurance agent and opened Expedient Title in Westerville, Ohio. Tess quickly earned the trust of many in the industry; any project that crossed her desk, any email in her inbox, was met with passion and intelligence no matter how big or small of a task it was. Throughout her time in the industry Tess felt blessed to develop some of the most meaningful and long-lasting friendships. It was not rare to hear her quickly answer a title question over the phone, and then proceed to have (at least) a thirty-minute conversation about life, spouses, kids, pets, anything and everything, and genuinely enjoy every second of it.

In her free time, Tess enjoyed volunteering at the Knox County Humane Society with her daughter, and quickly found herself a seat on the board of directors for a period of time. Tess’ passion for caring for animals led her to eventually be a key part in starting a non-profit cat rescue called Whisker Connection, where she spent countless hours working on TNR (trap-neuter-return) projects across Knox County to control the stray cat population. During her time with Whisker Connection, Animal Planet requested assistance with a cat hoarding situation; it was during the show’s filming that Tess received a serious cat bite, and days later ended up in St. Ann’s hospital to receive surgery, eventually leaving with a PICC line administering ‘round the clock antibiotics for weeks.

Tess’ stay in the hospital would change her life forever; it was at this point that she realized her true passion, and shortly after her health improved, she enrolled in nursing school. Tess easily navigated her way through school, and it is worth noting that at this point she was the mother of a very busy high school student, and the sole owner of Expedient Title. She graduated with her Associates Degree from Chamberlain University College of Nursing, where her warmth and intelligence led her peers to nominate her for a position behind the podium to speak for their class on graduation day. Tess went on to earn her Bachelor of Nursing from Ohio University, and shortly after began continuing her education by pursuing her Doctor of Nursing Practice at Ashland University. After her cancer diagnosis, Tess decided to take a break from the Doctor of Nursing program, and was unfortunately never able to resume her studies.

After receiving her Associates Degree Tess found her home at Marion General Hospital in the 2 North Med/Surg unit working night shifts. She continued her work at Expedient Title during the day, and never once missed any of her daughter’s home soccer games, orchestra concerts, ballet recitals, or softball games. Tess also managed to find time to work as a clinical instructor for the Mount Vernon Nazarene University and Ashland University. Tess had one goal: to ensure that all of her students went into the nursing industry armed with not only the necessary knowledge and experience, but with the compassion and empathy that she knew was vital to being a truly good caregiver. Her nursing career ended far too soon when she began to lose the energy necessary to continue working in such a physically demanding field. Tess literally worked until she herself had to be admitted to the hospital.

In 2021 Tess decided she had enough of winter and wanted to live by the ocean, so she moved the title company and her family, (including her brother, and her now adult daughter and her fiancé) to Port Orange, Florida. They spent just over two wonderfully warm years there, where Tess spent much of her time floating in the pool, soaking up the sun with her kitty companions, and enjoying the beach. While living in Florida, her daughter was incredibly blessed to have Tess present for her small wedding in September of 2022.

Tess made the journey home to Mount Vernon, Ohio in the summer of 2023 with the hopes of participating in a clinical trial for a new life-saving cancer drug, but was unfortunately hospitalized in early October where she found out that her cancer had become much more aggressive and was spreading very rapidly, and there was nothing left that could treat it.

The only thing left to do was spend the next few months surrounded by those who loved her, and end the fight with the disease that had invaded her body for the last six years.

Tess is survived by her mother and father; Linda (Lower) and George Vogt, her brother; Ryan Lane, two cousins who felt more like sisters; Ali Laird (Bricker) and Stephanie Ramsey (Bricker), and her aunt and uncle; Judy (Lane) and Carroll Hines. Also surviving her is her lifelong friend and separated husband; Dustin Miller, and her daughter and son-in-law; Riley (Miller) and Tucker Hughes. Coming from two large families, Tess is survived by many other aunts, uncles, and cousins who she so dearly loved with her entire heart.

Friends may call on Thursday, December 21, 2023, from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Dowds-Snyder Funeral Home, 201 Newark Road, Mount Vernon, Ohio 43050 where a Celebration of Life will begin at 6 p.m. The family will observe a private burial in Mound View Cemetery.

Memorial contributions can be made to Best Friends Animal Society.

To share a memory or express a condolence for the family, visit www.snyderfuneralhomes.com

The Dowds-Snyder Funeral Home of Mount Vernon is honored to serve the family of Tess Miller (Lane).

Funeral Home: Dowds-Snyder Funeral Home

Website: www.snyderfuneralhomes.com