By Steve Rhodes
I’m proud to say that Patty Miller cut my hair dozens of times in the 20 years I’ve been in Chicago (don’t blame her for its unfixable unruliness; she worked with it as well as anybody). She was a fixture in Roscoe Village. And now she’s gone.
The news first came, of course, via Facebook.
“I found out today that the woman who inspired me to do hair passed away last week, Patty Miller owner of big hair in Chicago,” Maggie Stumpf of the Hairitics Salon wrote on March 22.
“I don’t know the details, but did want to express that my sister, mother, and I all got our hair done by Patty since the early 90s. She was the person who encouraged me to go into hair and told me where to go to beauty school. Her free spirit and style was contagious and fun… and to a young awkward teenager (me) she was the success I wanted. Though I never worked with her or got the chance to thank her for starting me on my path she will be forever honored in my heart. I am so thankful for this career!”
The official obituary via the Sun-Times:
Miller, Patricia “Patty” (nee Bekker), 47, passed away March 14. Born in Chicago, November 10, 1965, she graduated from Waters Elementary School and Lane Technical High School. Patty left her modeling career in 1990 to start Big Hair, a rock ‘n roll hair salon that became a Roscoe Village anchor. She made her diverse clientele look good and feel good. In 1994, she married Bruce Miller and they settled in Rockwell Gardens. A member of Luther Memorial Church, Patty supported local charities, local businesses and the Lincoln Park Zoo. She introduced her children to many places in Chicago special to her. She was the beloved mother of Gwendolyn, Luke and Scott; daughter of Marles and Josef Bekker; sister of Teresa Bekker and her partner Zbigniew “Adam” Grzegorczyk; Anne and James Jaeger, all of Chicago; and many nieces and nephews.
A memorial was held at Big Hair on March 30th. Sorry I’m so late with the news.
See also:
* The guest book.
* Memorial window display.
* Memorial photo.
* Patty in the New York Times in 2007.
* BigHair.com.
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Condolences to friends and family.
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Comments welcome.
Posted on April 4, 2013