Virginia M. Miller, 87, of Geneseo, formerly of Cambridge, died Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2010, at Good Samaritan Village, Geneseo.
Funeral services were held at 11a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 12, at the Cambridge United Methodist Church with the Rev. John Eisfelder officiating. Visitation was one hour prior to the service at the church. Cremation took place after the service and an inurnment service was held at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 13, at the Prairie Cemetery, Fennimore, Wisconsin, with the Rev. Dennis Govier officiating.
Stackhouse-Moore Funeral Services, Cambridge, assisted the family with arrangements.
Memorials may be made to the Cambridge United Methodist Church.
The former Virginia Marion Monroe was born June 28, 1922, on the family farm in Mt. Hope Township, Wisconsin, the daughter of Roy R. and Gladys H. (Merry) Monroe. Virginia was the oldest of three children. She attended the Shady Dell Grade School near their farm and graduated from Mt. Hope High School in 1939 as valedictorian of her class.
Virginia was proud to have won a Grant County penmanship contest during that time. Following high school, Virginia moved to Madison to attend Vocational School (MATC). Her education there led to positions with the office of the president of the Platteville (WI) State Teachers College, the Agricultural Adjustment Administration in Lancaster, and the War Industries in Cuba City.
Her marriage to Frank Leslie Miller of Fennimore took place on May 27, 1945, in the Mt. Hope Methodist Church. He died March 5, 2005.
Four children were born to Frank and Virginia, and she dedicated herself to their upbringing, staying at home until returning to work part-time at the Aledo Methodist Church. Her career path took her to the USPS where she worked until retiring in the mid 1980’s.
Virginia was a proud member of the DAR and a ninth generation member of both the Monroe and the Merry families. She appreciated that she was able to know seven generations of her family very well, from her great grandmother, Elizabeth Braudt, to her nine great grandchildren. For her entire life the Methodist Church was important to her, and she never wavered in her beliefs. She was a very kind and gentle person who strongly influenced her family by the way she lived her life.
She is survived by her four children; Monroe (Cheryl) Miller, Middleton, WI, Merry (Wray) Welsch, Winfield, Iowa, Lyman (Mary) Miller, Eldridge, Iowa, and Virginia (Merlin) Hamre, Anchorage, AK; 11 grandchildren; nine great grandchildren; a sister, Gwendolyn (Aubrey) Blackburn, Fennimore, WI and 15 nieces and nephews.
Her parents, her husband, and a brother and sister-in-law, Harley and Alberta Monroe, preceded her in death.
