Mary Anne Miller, 89, passed away on February 7, 2025, at Stone Hill Care center, surrounded by her children, listening to Pachelbel’s Canon in D.

Friends and family may visit from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday February 12, 2025 at Holy Spirit Parish, Sacred Heart Church.

Mass of Christian Burial will begin at 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday at the church with Rev. Steve Garner officiating. Private interment will be held on Thursday at Mount Olivet cemetery in Key West.

She was born Oct. 21, 1935, at home, in Monticello, Iowa, the daughter of Bernard & Mary (Minnis) Kuriger. She attended Sacred Heart Grade School & High School & graduated from Mercy School of Nursing (now Mount Mercy University) in Cedar Rapids, IA, becoming a Registered Nurse (RN).

She married Frank Miller of rural Monticello on June 12, 1956, at Sacred Heart Church in Monticello. She & Frank were married for 66 years & were blessed with 6 children, 10 grandchildren, & 12 great grandchildren. She worked as an RN in Anamosa, IA, Marshalltown, IA, Cleveland, OH, South San Francisco, CA, & Dubuque, IA. She also served as a private duty RN at various times. She ended her RN career at Holy Family Hall (Mount St. Francis) caring for retired Franciscan Sisters.

Their home hosted holiday celebrations for the entire growing & extended families for many years until the numbers outgrew capacity of the house. Christmas was always characterized by a fully decorated 10 ft. natural tree & a Christmas village in excess of 100 illuminated pieces.

She, Frank & family lived in Anamosa, IA, Boulder, CO, Marshalltown, IA, Hamilton, NY, Oak Ridge, TN, Dubuque, IA, the San Francisco CA area, Grand Forks, N. Dakota, Cambridge, MA, & Osaka, Japan, all depending on Frank’s teaching & research assignments. When traveling to these destinations the family enjoyed tent-camping along the way. Making trips to the east coast or west coast areas enabled them to experience such wonders of nature as the Grand Canyon, the Rocky Mountains, Niagara Falls, the Pacific Ocean, & many National Parks along the way.

She was a loving wife, mother, grandmother, & great-grandmother. She loved to cook (Lasagna was a signature dish), baking cakes, pastries & breads. Home-made garlic bread was a specialty to go with the lasagna, gardening, interacting with her grand and great grandchildren, & sewing, particularly needlework, notably counted cross stitch – (some of which required tens of thousands of stitches for completion) – one of which took “Best of Show” at the Dubuque County Fair – which adorned her home & the homes of many family members. She sewed wedding dresses for two of her daughters, a tuxedo for a son, Christmas & Easter clothes for many years for her grandchildren, great grandchildren, & a family funeral pall which will cover her casket at the Mass.

She received the Iowa Governor’s award for volunteer service, particularly for serving several years on the Foster Care Review Board, & volunteering, for 16 years, at Stonehill Care Center & Sunnycrest Manor. She was a member of the Tri-State Garden Club & took many awards at garden shows, including a “Best of Show” at the Dubuque County Fair. Her special plant favorite was roses.

She was a parish member at Sacred Heart (now part of Holy Spirit Parish) for 59 years & was very active at Holy Spirit Parish serving as lay Communion Distributor, lector, Mass server, Sacristan, & was a member of the choir, funeral choir, the Liturgy Committee, & the Bereavement Committee to assist families in planning funeral liturgies. She always enjoyed seeing the Sacred Heart steeples from her bed.

Throughout her life she and Frank were involved in many religious & spiritual activities including the teaching of parish CCD, marriage enrichment programs such as “Sponsor Couple”, and they were team couple-leaders in “Marriage Encounter”, various parish renewal programs, like “Renew”, & team members for the Spiritual Life Congress. She was a consistent blood donor for over 50 years.

Mary Anne & Frank took pride in their yard, which was often described as a “mini arboretum” & contained a pergola & waterfall, all designed & constructed by them. Their garden, which contained over 100 plant species, was one of the gardens included in the 2006 Master Gardener Tour of Gardens. In 1987 they constructed a “passive solar greenhouse”, attached to their home which enabled them to efficiently heat their home & produce a wide variety and quantity of seedlings for family & friends.

Mary Anne was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Frank Miller, her daughter, Lisa Finnegan, and son-in-law, Brian Finnegan, her daughter-in-law, Maureen Miller,  her parents, and her sisters Pat, Sheila (Chambers) and Kathy Kuriger.

She is survived by her son F. Michael (Mary Jane) Miller; daughter Dawn (Chip) Pregler; son Dan (Jackie) Miller; daughter Stephanie (Pat) Miller-Lamb; and son Patrick Miller. Grandchildren include Nicole, Mark, and Rachel; Katie (Dan), David (Kari), and Jonathan (Beth); Ashley (Matt), Matt, and Ben (Audrey); Elizabeth; Katlyn and Autumn.  Her great grandkids are Lauren & Erin; Violet, Nora, & Nathan; Grant, Beau, Quinn, Grace & Madelyn; Izzibelle & Kolton.

She is also survived by her brother Jack (Renee) & numerous nieces, nephews, & cousins.
We extend our deep appreciation to the amazing staff at Stone Hill, especially those in Memory care. Thank you for the beautiful, loving care you provided for Mom. The family requests no flowers. Memorials may be given to Holy Spirit Parish (Sacred Heart Church), the Loras College Planetarium, the Alzheimer’s Association, or the charity of your choice.