Isabel Keesler Pitts Miller, eldest daughter of the late John Lawrence Pitts and Isabel Keesler Pitts, died peacefully at home on the morning of May 13, 2026.

Isabel was born on October 7, 1929, in Alexandria, Louisiana, where she remained a lifelong resident. Her parents were early residents of what was then referred to as “The Horseshoe.” Her family lived along Bayou Robert, which, having been navigable in earlier times, still had enough water for crawfish to be caught in abundance by happy children.

After graduating from Bolton High School in 1947, Isabel matriculated to Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, where she completed her freshman and sophomore years and was initiated into Kappa Kappa Gamma Sorority. She transferred to L.S.U. her junior year, where she met her future husband, Huie Anthony Miller. Majoring in speech and English education, Isabel graduated from L.S.U. in 1951 and she and Huie were married on March 1, 1952. After Mr. Miller’s deployment with the Navy during the Korean War, the couple made Alexandria their home.

Isabel became a charter member of the faculty of Scott M. Brame Jr. High School, where she taught English from the school’s inception in 1960 until her retirement in 1982. Long after her teaching days were over, former students would greet Isabel with these words:

“Mrs. Miller,

The woods are lovely, dark and deep,

But I have promises to keep,

And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep.”

Teaching students to love poetry was Isabel’s great joy, and memorization of Robert Frost’s

“Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” was a requirement for the hundreds and hundreds of children who passed through her classroom. Isabel was a participant in the restoration of Kent Plantation House, a member of the Alexandria chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma Alumnae, and a Sustainer in the Junior League of Alexandria.

Foremost in Isabel’s life was family. Isabel is survived by four children, seven grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren: Dr. John Pitts Miller of Hammond, his wife Sandy, and their children; Max, Stuart, and Lucy; her daughter Charlot Ann Miller Taylor of Alexandria; her daughter Clara Christine Miller Chauvin of Baton Rouge, her husband Jay, and their children John and Charlot; her son Anthony Parish Miller of Mandeville, his wife Mae, and their children Preston and Christine. Isabel also takes leave of her beloved sisters, the late Clara Wise Pitts Wolf and Charlot Parish Pitts Morrison. Besides the aforementioned immediate family, Isabel is survived by scores of nieces, nephews, great-grandchildren, cousins, and loving friends.

A private service will be held at a later date.

The family would like to thank the staff of Compassionate Care Hospice for the loving care that Isabel received during her final days, especially Ashley, Allison, Laura, and Len. Many thanks also to Rosie M. and Barbara B for their kindness to Isabel during her life.