Obituary of Henrietta B. Miller

Henrietta was born on July 21, 1926, in rural Iowa City.  She was the daughter of Charles and Bessie Meka Frauenholtz.

She attended a one-room country school, Scott Township #3, from kindergarten through 8th grade.  Henrietta graduated from City High in 1943 and went on for further training at Brown’s Business College in Iowa City.  She worked at the University of Iowa first in the Business Office and then later in the Anatomy Department until she retired in 1993.  In the midst of getting married, helping her husband farm, and raising a family, she worked approximately 36 years for the University of Iowa.  When she retired, so did her typewriter, the Anatomy department gave it to her for a gift.

Henrietta began driving at the early age of 13.  Her father died in 1940, and her mother never drove.  A cousin taught her to drive so she could go to town to run errands for her mother when needed.  Around the time she was in Brown’s College, there was a young man that came to work for the farmer who lived across the road from her parent’s farm.  One day after a storm, Henrietta was driving home and there was a tree across the road preventing her from reaching her destination.  The young man also had been driving back from town and was stopped.  He walked her home from there.  His name was Samuel Miller.  He took the opportunity to ask her to a dance the next Thursday in Wellman and from there a romance blossomed.  They were married on August 31, 1945, in Iowa City, and had nearly 55 years together.

A year after their marriage, they took over farming Henrietta’s mother’s farm, and moved back to the farm house in which Henrietta grew up in from about the age of 8.  She worked along with Sam on the farm as well as her job at the University.  She had a large garden from which she canned many vegetables, raised chickens and delivered the eggs to fraternities, George’s Buffett, and Hamburg Inn #1 on Iowa Avenue, later butchered the chickens for eating, and bottled hundreds of gallons of milk which their dairy cows produced.  Along with other various farm tasks, she raised a son, Gene, and a daughter, Janice.

Henrietta was active in several neighborhood card clubs, she was a 4-H leader for the North Scott Lassies, secretary for the Scott Township Grade Schools, township trustee for a couple of rural cemeteries, Chatham Oaks Review Board, a member of First United Methodist Church, the Johnson County Farm Bureau, the Johnson County 4-H Fair dairy board, and the Order of the Eastern Star.  She also volunteered at the information desk at Mercy Hospital, the Senior Center and Hospice.

Henrietta and Sam enjoyed spending time with family and friends.  They loved going to their grandchildren’s school events and sports.  Camping, fishing, playing cards, dancing, and Hawkeye football and basketball games were other interests.  After the dairy was sold, they were able to travel and had some fun trips.

Henrietta moved to a condo in Iowa City in 2002, about a mile west of the farm.  She continued to manage the farm with the Iowa City limits encroaching upon her.  She had two special pets that she took to town with her, Buppy and Moonlight.  They provided lots of companionship.

She was preceded in death by her parents and her husband, Samuel.

She is survived by her sister Delores Longwell-Aller; her son, E. Gene Miller (Kathy); a daughter, Janice Schmidt (Karl).  Grandchildren-Trevor Miller (Jessica), Taylor Goemaat (Ben), Tanner Miller (Katie), Matthew Schmidt, Caleb Schmidt (Allie).  Great-Grandchildren: Edward Miller, Fiona Miller, Sam Goemaat, Aubrey Goemaat.

Memorials contributions may be directed to the First United Methodist Church or Johnson County 4-H.

Henrietta’s family would like to extend a very sincere and special thank you to all at Bickford Cottage for their loving care of our mother and family for the past two years!

Services will be held on Friday, June 15, 2018, at 11:00 am, at Gay & Ciha Funeral and Cremation Service in Iowa City, where visitation will be from 9:30 am Friday until services.  Entombment will be at Memory Gardens Mausoleum.  Memorials may be made to the First United Methodist Church or Johnson County 4-H. For a more complete obituary, to share a thought, memory or condolence please visit the funeral home website @ www.gayandciha.com.