Betty Sutherland Philler had a tremendous fear of birds stemming from an unfortunate incident with a hen in her youth. As was her way, she faced the incident with laughter and curiosity, spending years of her life as an avid bird watcher.
“There are some great contradictions in her life,” said son Criss Mills of Atlanta, noting all of her bird books. “In that final phase of her life she began to find everything humorous and found humor in everything.”
Philler graduated from Georgia State University with a bachelor’s degree in 1968 and a master’s in early childhood education in 1975 after raising her own children. She was known by family and friends for her creativity, curiosity and lifelong dedication to education.
She worked in the Atlanta public school system for years at Warren T. Jackson Elementary School, where she used nature as a classroom. She worked with students to develop an outdoor learning center and lay out a nature trail.
Daughter Sally Mills of Atlanta said she took a great deal of pride in her “Adopt a Tree” program.
“She was a naturalist and she took them down the wooded paths and taught them about Native Americans,” she said. “She had children from all walks of life and every one of them was special to her. We were all informed by her enthusiasm.”
Betty Sutherland Philler, 91, of Atlanta, died of natural causes at home June 13. A memorial service is planned for 2 p.m. Sunday at Central Presbyterian Church. Southcare Cremation and Funeral Society handled cremation arrangements.
Philler was a wordsmith with a deep love of the English language. She started a book club at her church more than 20 years ago, the Book Worms, where she met longtime friend Jean Ellen Jones.
“She was a person who was interested in other people,” Jones said. “She was so interested I just talked as much as I felt like. I think she had this uncanny knack of bringing people out and being interested and being a true friend.”
Philip Hurst, who grew up in the neighborhood with Philler and her children, said she raised him just as much as his own mother did.
He said she always had an amazing Christmas tree.
“Betty was a woman that was ahead of her time. She represents to me the last person of that kind of era,” he said of the days of riding a bike to school and knowing everyone in the neighborhood like family. “And she influenced my way of thinking probably more so than I can think of anybody.”
Philler was a writer and a poet with a well-developed funny bone and a knack for Scrabble, and family and friends say she was endlessly clever.
Criss Mills said in life you must be oh so smart or oh so pleasant, referencing a quote from the 1950 movie “Harvey.”
“Well, she was both.”
In addition to her daughter and son, Philler is survived by sons, Pat Mills of Champaign, Ill. and Kelly Mills of Rome; six grandchildren and two great grandchildren.
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