Bertha May Stauffer Miller

1924 - 2021

Bertha May Stauffer Miller left this earth at 1:10 p.m. Monday, Oct. 11, 2021, at Greencroft Healthcare in Goshen, Indiana, surrounded by her oldest daughter and son-in-law, Nancy and Steve Ketcham, and oldest grandchild Larry Kemp Jr. She was 97.

She married Vernon U. Miller on Jan. 1, 1946, and they traveled to Sarasota, Florida, for their honeymoon. Vernon preceded Bertha in death on March 26, 2006, after 60 years of marriage.

Miller was born July 30, 1924 to Ivan and Ruth Stauffer near Wakarusa, Indiana, where she lived much of her life, but also lived near Middlebury, Indiana, and Blountstown, Florida. She had an older sister, Florence Stauffer Yoder, and younger brother, Paul Stauffer, both deceased. Her father died when she was 28 from a car accident and her mother died in June 1991 at the age of 95.

Miller was a member of North Goshen Mennonite Church and earlier, Holdeman Mennonite near Wakarusa. After graduating from a business school and working as a secretary during WW II, Bertha happily became a homemaker and farmer's wife, and later cleaned houses for many years. Together Bertha and Vernon hosted Country Bed and Breakfast on CR 36 near Wakarusa, enjoying visitors from all over the world. They also traveled around the world in 1967 visiting countries ranging from Holland to France to Israel to Vietnam and more, visiting locations which received grain donations from CROP (Christian Rural Overseas Program) in which they were active. While living in North Florida, they helped open a mobile home manufacturing business and farmed.

Bertha enjoyed quilting for MCC Relief Sales, traveling, volunteering in South Texas, reading, acting in the Curtain Raisers senior drama group and volunteering at Greencroft as a reader to residents and serving at the visitor's desk. Most recently, she graded Home Bible Studies lessons for incarcerated men and women through the Gospel Echoes organization.

Surviving are four children with spouses: Nancy Ketcham (Steve), Wakarusa; Linda "Pert" Shetler (Kathy Duford); Calabash, North Carolina; Melodie Davis (Stuart), Harrisonburg, Virginia and Terry Miller (Debbe), Altha, Florida; eleven grandchildren: Larry Kemp Jr., Bob Kemp, Katie Gross, Scott Kemp, Brian Ketcham, Jodi Ketcham, Michelle Sinclair, Tanya Sparks, Doreen Tadde, Jamie Miller, Jeremy Miller, and numerous great and great great grandchildren, nieces and nephews.

The family will receive friends, Saturday, Nov. 13, from 9 a.m. until the 10 a.m. celebration of life service at North Goshen Mennonite Church.

Burial will be private, arranged through Yoder-Culp Funeral Home. Memorial contributions may be made to CROP Hunger Walks, a program of Church World Service; or Gospel Echoes Team Prison Ministry in Goshen.