Joan Miller, a professor of anthropology at Mesa College, died in her sleep at her home on Sept. 27 from unknown causes. She was 50 years old.

Miller was taking several types of strong medications for pain associated with the nerves in her spine. A toxicology report is still pending for the cause of death.

Miller was born June 22, 1960 in Peoria, Ill. to Katherine Cullen and Victor Chowaniak. She lived there until she was 18, moving to Wisconsin for her freshman year of college at the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire.

A year later she moved to Gainesville, Fla. where she attended Santa Fe Community College, studying anthropology.

In 1981, Miller moved to San Diego where she worked as a zookeeper at the San Diego Zoo and Wild Animal Park for five years. Primates, chimpanzees, gorillas and ring-tailed lemurs were among her favorite animals at work.

She began taking classes at San Diego State University where she earned both her Bachelors and Masters Degree in Anthropology.

In June 1984 she met Kelly Miller and they were married on Jan. 4, 1985 at the Los Angeles Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Nearly a year later, they had their first child and moved to Hemet, Calif.

Hemet was where Miller developed a passion for instructing when she was hired to teach at NutriSystem. In 1990 she moved back to San Diego, teaching an anthropology class at San Diego State University, becoming a full time professor in 1993.

Four years later in 1997 she began teaching anthropology part time at Mesa College in addition to teaching full time at SDSU.

In the spring 2009 semester, Miller took a medical leave of absence, returning a few months later to teach online summer classes. She resumed classes on campus the following fall.

Miller was very involved with the community inside and outside her classroom, as well as with the Mormon Church she attended and the Save the Chimps Foundation. She and her husband contributed to the adoption of two chimpanzees in New Mexico.

The couple financially supported them and collected food and toys for them, then drove out to New Mexico to deliver them. She also was very involved with the San Diego Blood Bank and the San Diego Humane Society and Rescue, and made contributions for the children in Haiti.

A scholarship has been made in her honor for students who have taken at least a single anthropology class and are active in community services. The Joan T. Miller Scholarship awards $500 and will be distributed annually starting this December. Students and faculty can also make donations to the Save the Chimps Foundation in her name.

Her memorial service was held Oct. 9 at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in the Allied Garden neighborhood of San Diego, where roughly 800 people gathered.

She is survived by her husband Kelly, sons Karl, 25, and Glenn, 22, and daughter Diane, 18.