Dorothy Jean Miller was born Sept. 8, 1915, in rural Wellman, Iowa, the daughter of Glenn and Dora (Berry) Huntsberger. She graduated from Wellman High School. She was a teacher, first in rural country schools and then in the Mid-Prairie School District, where she taught for 20 years.
Dorothy married R. Weldon Miller on June 5, 1940, in Fort Madison. They made their home in the Wellman community where they raised two sons. She was a member of the Asbury United Methodist Church.
In 2008, Dorothy moved to Highland Ridge Senior Living Community. Dorothy died on Friday, Dec. 20, 2019, at the Highland Ridge Care Center in Williamsburg at the age of 104 years.
She lived a long and inspired life, raising her family and contributing to her community. She was a voracious reader, consuming as many as 100 books a year, and a master puzzler.
Her gardening prowess included yearly vegetable garden and an unmatched perennial border (she was even known to weed the front gardens at Highland Ridge, well into her 90s).
Her fashion sense was a trademark. Everywhere she went, she wore an A-line skirt and blouse with earrings and necklace to match.
Her sense of humor, her energy and her strong opinions were intact until the end.
Dorothy had a deep love for Iowa’s rolling farmland and relished watching the farmers planting and harvesting from her apartment at Highland Ridge.
A master quilter who quilted into her 90s, she was rumored to tear out the stitches of fellow quilters who didn’t meet her standard.
Dorothy traveled to Saudi Arabia and to Europe with her son Fred and his wife Karen and to many places in the United States. But Iowa was her home for her 104 years of life.
Dorothy is survived by two sons: Fred (Karen) Miller of Gardnerville, Nev., and Dr. Philip Miller (Colleen Cain) of Portland, Ore.; two granddaughters: Claire Cain Miller (Alex Cain), Dr. Sophie Cain Miller (Reid Spolek); two great-grandsons: Auden and Tiller Cain; several nieces and nephews; two stepgranddaughters: Tiffanne Hardy and Marlo Doll; and five stepgreat-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband: Weldon, in August 1970; a sister: Margaret Huntsberger; and a brother: Donald Huntsberger.
The family is deeply appreciative of the devoted care and attention Dorothy received from her longtime cardiologist, Dr. Michael Kienzle, and from the staff at The Gables at Highland Ridge Senior Living Community in Williamsburg, during the time she lived there.
A graveside service will be held at 1 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 26, 2019, in the Wellman Cemetery.
The Powell Funeral Home in Williamsburg is caring for Dorothy and her family. Messages and tributes may be left at www.powellfuneralhomes.com.
