Ruth Irene Miller

March 9, 2012

Ruth Irene Miller
May 30, 1914 - March 6, 2012
WARSAW — Ruth Irene Miller, 97, formerly of South Bend residing the last three years in Warsaw, passed away at 1:43 p.m. Tuesday, March 6, 2012 in Miller’s Merry Manor - Warsaw.
She was born in Noblesville, May 30, 1914 to the late Harry Alva and Delia Eva (Pitts) Smeltzer. May 4, 1936 in Culver, Irene married Culver W. Miller, who preceded her in death July 26, 1965.
Irene graduated from Culver High School in 1932. She worked as a beautician in the late 1930s and early 1940s at Hannock’s Beauty Shop in South Bend. Starting in 1969, she worked for Little Dutch Cleaners. She retired from White House Systems, where she was a seamstress. Most importantly, she was a “stay-at-home” mom.
Irene attended both Grace Baptist Church in Granger and Emmanuel Baptist Bible Church in Niles, Mich. She dearly loved her church and was active in calling and visiting shut-ins, providing meals, and her true love, working in the nursery at church. Irene was a soul-winning evangelist.
Surviving Irene are her daughter, Saundra (Hubert) Kennedy of Warsaw; sons, Terry Miller of Elgin, S.C. and Jerry (Ruth) Miller of Champlin, Minn.; nine grandchildren, Beth Ann (William) Wells and Belinda (Lynn) Cole, both of Warsaw, Barbara Sims of Ohio, Terry Miller Jr. and Andrea Boatwright, both of Elgin, S.C., Elizabeth Wilder of Kershaw, S.C., Nathan Miller of Elgin, S.C., Paul (Kristee) Miller of St. Paul, Minn. and Dan (Stacie) Miller of Mound, Minn.; 13 great-grandchildren; and four great-great-grandchildren. In addition to her husband and parents, Irene was preceded in death by one grandson, William Wells; two sisters, Marie Cultice and Anna Mae Cultice; and one brother, Raymond Smeltzer.
Funeral services for Irene will be 11 a.m. Saturday, March 10, in Palmer Funeral Home - Hickey Chapel, 17131 Cleveland Road, South Bend. Rev. Brad Lomax will officiate. Graveside services and burial will follow at Highland Cemetery. Friends may visit with the family from 10 to 11 a.m. Saturday in the funeral home prior to services.
Memorial contributions in memory of Irene may be made to Emmanuel Baptist Bible Church (for the nursery), 216 Beeson Road, Niles, MI 49120. Online condolences may be offered to the Miller family at www.palmerfuneralhomes.com [1].