Virginia Miller

Virginia Miller

Funeral services for Virginia E. Miller, age 93, of Albert Lea, will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Monday, July 10, 2017 at Bayview/Freeborn Funeral Home.  Rev. Clayton Balsley will officiate. Interment will be at Hillcrest Cemetery.  Visitation will be one hour prior to the service at the funeral home on Monday.

Virginia died Wednesday, July 5, 2017 at Oak Park Place in Albert Lea.

Virginia Elaine Miller was born September 26, 1923 in Bancroft Township to Hans and Grace (Hanson) Lund.  She grew up on her parents’ farm in Bath Township and attended the country school there.  In her youth, she liked to play practical jokes on her family members and occasionally she got her brothers to help her.  On November 4, 1943, she was united in marriage to Herman J. Miller in Owatonna, Minnesota and were married for sixty years until his passing in October 2003.  The marriage was blessed with four children, Gloria, Elaine, Larry, and Colleen.  Like many women of her generation, Virginia stayed home and took care of her family.  In addition to creating a home and caring for her family, she was a foster parent for many years to several children in need of a safe and loving home.  Later in life, Virginia worked a few jobs outside of the home, but being a homemaker was her primary job.  Virginia enjoyed embroidery, traveling to see friends and family, bus trips with the senior center, reading, watching Wheel of Fortune (guessing many right answers before the contestants), her pet cats, fabric painting, putting jigsaw puzzles together, word finds and word search puzzles, beating her family members at games of Scrabble, and baking.  Virginia had a knack for entering drawings and winning several prizes throughout the years.  Virginia was a faithful member of the Calvary Baptist Church congregation and later the Bridge Community Church. 

Virginia is survived by daughters, Gloria (Dale) Schroeder, Elaine (Harry) Bergwall, and Colleen (Kevin) Bates; grandchildren, Stacia (Chris) Hansard, Brian (Shelia) Bergwall, Kelly Schroeder, Bonnie Schroeder, Cory (Renee) Bates, Kari (Zac) Davis, and Cody (Isabelle) Bates; nine great-grandchildren; sister, Betty Anderson; and brother-in-law, Marlin Bates.

Virginia was preceded in death by her parents, Hans and Grace Lund; husband, Herman Miller; son, Larry Miller; grandson, Jason Bergwall; brothers, Arnold Lund, Melvin Lund, and Leland Lund; sisters, Muriel Ingersoll and Dorothy Bates.

Memorials preferred to the following: Bridge Community Church, Youth for Christ, and the Albert Lea Hospice.  A special thank you to the wonderful staff of Oak Park Place and Albert Lea Hospice for your kindness and friendship.

“We loved her a lot, but God loved her more.”

“In memory and in celebration of someone who made this world a brighter and better place.”