Diane Disney Miller, daughter of Walt, dies at 79

Diane Disney Miller, a Napa Valley winemaker and the reason why the Walt Disney Family Museum is located in San Francisco, died Tuesday.

Mrs. Miller succumbed to injuries suffered in a fall a few months ago in Napa, where she had a home. She was 79.

As the only surviving child of Walt and Lillian Disney, Mrs. Miller was the president of the Walt Disney Family Foundation and co-founder, with her son, Walter Elias Disney Miller, of the Walt Disney Family Museum. It opened in 2009 on the Main Post of the Presidio of San Francisco, not far from her residence on Russian Hill. Last year more than 100,000 people visited the museum, which is on track to hit 150,000 in 2013.

"She was totally devoted to the memory of her father. She obviously just worshiped him, and everything she did at the museum was to honor him, and to be sure that people knew the accurate story," said Nancy Bechtle, who served with Mrs. Miller on the San Francisco Symphony board and recently helped her find a new director for the museum.

A resident of the Bay Area since the mid-1980s, Mrs. Miller was a benefactor to the Symphony and Napa's "Music in the Vineyards" as well as other charities such as the Pathway Home in Yountville. She also crusaded to keep Frank Gehry as architect for the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, which opened 10 years ago.

Diane Marie Disney was born Dec. 18, 1933, an event that caused the Los Angeles Times to proclaim "Mickey Mouse has a daughter." She was educated at the University of Southern California, where she met Ron Miller, a member of the football team, on a blind date after a Cal-USC game.

They were married in Santa Barbara on May 9, 1954. Miller had a career in pro football before being recruited by his father-in-law. After their seven children had grown up, he left the firm, and they left Los Angeles for Napa, where they owned Silverado Vineyards.

She is survived by her husband; children Christopher Miller, Joanna Miller, Tamara Diane Miller, Jennifer Miller-Goff, Walter Elias Disney Miller, Ronald Miller and Patrick Miller; grandchildren Annabelle Rey, Nick Runeare, Ryan Scheer, Sam Goff, Danielle Durham, Sebastian Runeare, Charlotte Goff, Lily Goff, Haley Scheer, Reilly Miller, Madeline Goff, William Miller and Elias Miller; and great-granddaughter Stella Durham.

Services will be private. A public celebration at the museum is pending. In lieu of flowers and gifts, donations may be made to the memorial fund that the Walt Disney Family Museum has created in honor of Diane Disney Miller. Donations and cards can also be sent to the family through the Walt Disney Family Museum, attn: Director's Office; 104 Montgomery St., San Francisco, CA 94129.

Arts and Entertainment editor Leba Hertz contributed to this report.

Sam Whiting is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: swhiting@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @samwhitingsf.