Jean Marie Miller was born on April 27, 1938, in Keshena, Wisconsin, to parents James and Emma (Reed) Miller. She entered the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet in 1953 and was received into the novitiate in 1954 as Sister Marie Kateri. She earned her license as a practical nurse in 1964.

Sister Jean devoted nearly 40 years of faithful service to St. Joseph Institute for the Deaf. She began in the mid-1970s when St. Joseph Institute for the Deaf was still located in University City and served as a child care worker and houseparent, research and recreation assistant director and dining room manager. At the Chesterfield location, she served as a purchasing agent, purchasing coordinator and laundress.

Early on in her ministry work, Sister Jean served as a licensed practical nurse. She worked at Nazareth Convent in St. Louis (1956-60), St. Joseph Hospital in Kansas City, Missouri (1964-65), and Riverside Nursing Home in Oconto, Wisconsin (1974-75). She was also a child care worker and houseparent at St. Joseph Carondelet Child Care Center in Chicago (1960-63), St. Joseph Male Orphanage in Washington, Georgia (1965), and St. Joseph’s Home for Boys in St. Louis (1965-73).

Sister Jean retired in 2012 and volunteered at the St. Joseph Provincial House, serving her CSJ community. She moved to Nazareth Living Center in 2014 where she carried out her ministry of prayer and presence.