NORTH WEBSTER – Gloria J. Miller passed away on Monday, Nov. 2, 2020, after a sudden and brief illness. She was 96 years young.
The daughter of Glen and Sylvia Witmer, she spent her childhood in the greater North Webster community and graduated from North Webster High School in the summer of 1942. She worked for a time during the war in the cash office at Wolf and Dessauer Department Store while living in Fort Wayne.
She was married on Oct. 23, 1943, to her late husband, Basil Miller (or Bud as he was known at the Warsaw Automotive NAPA store) and lived her entire adult life on the family farm in the West Etna community of northwest Whitley County. It was just a few years ago that a neighbor reported seeing her dragging a snapping turtle off the road with a big stick in front of her farmhouse. She had in the last couple years moved into a local assisted living facility.
She was for decades a member of West Etna Community Church, Backwaters Friends Homemakers Club and annually organized the reunion alumni dinner for the Class of ‘42. By the age of 21, she had experienced the Great Depression, her mother dying, her childhood home burning to the ground, a teenage cancer scare and World War II. Yet, she lived a long life that took in everything from horse and buggies, to moon landings, to the internet and cell phones.
She is survived by three children, Victoria Ringgenberg, of Warsaw; Doug Miller, of Concord area of New Hampshire; and Paul Miller, of Bryan, Texas; five grandchildren: Pamela (Ringgenberg) Ridenour (Mike), of Elkhart; Stephanie (Ringgenberg) Brunner (Mark), of Wauwatosa, Wis.; Brian Miller (Stephanie Ueng), of San Francisco, Calif.; Drew Miller (Lisa McCandless), of San Francisco, Calif.; and Nate Miller (Jessica), of Seattle, Wash.; five great-grandchildren: Jordan Kistler (Rachel), of Elkhart; Hannah Kistler, of Pierceton; Hamilton Miller and Ansel Miller, of San Francisco, Calif.; Caden Miller, of Seattle, Wash.; sister, Glenna (Ivan) Werstler, of Pierceton; and many nephews and nieces and loved in-laws.
She was preceded in death by her parents; husband; son-in-law, Kerry Ringgenberg; daughter-in-law, Betsy Miller; and three sisters: Zelpha Ginter, Lucille Keck and Ruth Sauers.
A private family graveside service will take place in the Pleasant Grove (Snodgrass) Cemetery.
Owen Family Funeral Home, Ind. 13 and CR 500N, North Webster, is in charge of arrangements.
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Preferred memorials may be given to the Kosciusko Home Care and Hospice, P.O. Box 1196, Warsaw, IN 46581.
To send condolences to the family of Gloria Miller, please visit www.owenfamilyfuneralhome.com.
