Gainor Ingersoll Miller, 87, passed away peacefully Saturday, February 4, 2017 at her Cathedral Village apartment in Philadelphia, PA. Born May 31,1929 in Philadelphia. She was a woman with an understated but powerful creativity, unique grace and generosity of spirit that manifested in her relationships, her interests and her sense of humor. Gainor went to Chatham Hall and graduated from Wellesley College in 1951 with a degree in Art History. Her love for art continued throughout her life. She painted oils and watercolors but her passion was sculpting. She attended The Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and became an accomplished sculptor, operating her own independent studio for decades. Years later at Cathedral Village, she ran the Clay Studio. Gainor also loved horticulture. She was a graduate of the Barnes Foundation program and was a member of The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. She participated in the Philadelphia Flower Show for many years, using her particular sense of creativity in many displays, including a notable award-winning desert exhibit. Later at Cathedral Village, she was instrumental in the mapping of the many species of trees on the grounds. Her interest in nature extended into her volunteer work at the Academy of Natural Sciences where she was the director of the Wildfowl Art Exhibition. Gainor enthusiastically participated in political and community advocacy efforts and was the manager of the Chestnut Hill Community Center’s Women’s Exchange for several years. Gainor was the daughter of Charles Jared Ingersoll and Marian Baird and sister of Jared Ingersoll (d), Anna Ingersoll Roberts (d), Sally Wister Fox (d), and Ellen Robinson Clay (d) and Ann Clay. She is survived by her four loving children, Bayard Clarkson Schoettle, Marian Ingersoll Schoettle, Anna Warren Schoettle and Gainor Wister Miller; and by her six grandchildren, Catharine and Anna Schoettle, Philip and Nathaniel Schoettle-Greene and Charles and William Linkenheil. Gainor was predeceased by her beloved husband, John Anthony Miller. A reception will be held at Presser Lounge, Cathedral Village on February 18, 2017 at 2:00- 4:00 PM. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The Schuylkill Valley Nature Center, (http://www.schuylkillcenter.org/) or The Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts (https://www.pafa.org/).
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