Greenock Telegraph | Opinion | Sandie contacted by cousins

Thursday, 4th December, 2008

Published: Thursday, 5th June, 2008 16:30

Sandie contacted by cousins

By The Viator

EXPAT Greenockian Sandie Miller is absolutely delighted to have heard from long-lost relatives — thanks to the Telegraph.

A couple of weeks back, I carried an appeal on behalf of Sandie, who emigrated to the United States with her parents, George and Ella Thomson, in 1953. The family home had been at 14 Armadale Place.

Sandie told me: “Following your story, two of my Greenock cousins have been in touch with me — Jackie and Billy Thomson. I was so pleased to receive their response.

“By an interesting coincidence, one of my cousins’ granddaughters lives in New Zealand and I am going there soon, although I don’t know if I will be near where she is.”

Sandie has been telling me more about her life since leaving Greenock.

After finishing schooling in California, she married John Miller in 1963. They both worked for General Motors for several years and then Sandie had their only child, Mike, in 1969.

The couple moved to Colorado in 1970, where they set up a business distributing pneumatic and hydraulic components until retiring in 2000.

John and Sandie then moved to Washington where they lived on a 42ft trawler and later spent three years cruising around the northwest of the States and in Canadian waters.

In 2004, the boat was sold and the couple bought a 96-year-old house in Blaine, Washington.

John had almost finished its renovation when he took an infection in April, 2006 and died the following month.

Sandie said: “In the time since John’s death, I have been able to complete what still had to be done to the house.

“I’m not ready to retire again and I work part-time as a bookkeeper for a local attorney.”

Sandie also enjoys visiting Denver to see her son, his wife and their five-year-old twin sons.

Her late mother, Ella, was a qualified teacher of country dancing and was also an adjudicator.

She was instrumental in setting up a branch of the RSCDS (Royal Scottish Country Dance Society) in North Hollywood, California, and also in Florida and Denver, Colorado.

Sandie told me: “My mother continued to teach and to present demonstrations well into her 70s until illness prevented her performing any longer. When she was a young girl in Greenock, she was taught by a Miss McCauley and won many awards in Highland dance.”

I am always pleased to receive news from expats such as Sandie.

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