Belva Miller

Life History for Belva Miller
Belva Miller, age 92 of Osakis passed away unexpectedly on Tuesday, March 10 at the Community Memorial Home in Osakis, MN.
Belva Miller was born December 30, 1916, to Clayton and Minnie (Schleeter) Wilcox in Friberg Township, Otter Tail County, and moved with her family to Star Lake Township the following year. She attended Rural School District 137, and then stayed with relatives in Kerkhoven where she attended high school. She received her teacher's training at Fergus Falls and taught in Otter Tail County for 8 years.
On October 5, 1943, she married James (Jim) Miller and the couple spent two years at Ottumwa, Iowa, where Jim was stationed at the Primary Flight Training Base during World War II. When the war was over, the coupled moved to Osakis where they engaged in farming until retirement in 1978. Belva also taught country school in Todd County for 15 years.
Belva was always active in the Free Methodist Church, first in Osakis and later in Alexandria. She taught Sunday School classes for many years and held various offices in the women's organization both at the local and conference level. She was a member of the Community Memorial Home Auxiliary for a number of years, and for over twenty years was involved in an interdenominational bible study in her neighborhood.
She enjoyed reading and writing poetry, articles and letters. She loved being with people. She always had a large vegetable garden and enjoyed canning and freezing fruits and vegetables for her family as well as caring for her flower beds. After their retirement, she and Jim enjoyed traveling to several places in the United States and Europe.
She was preceded in death by her parents, their oldest son, James Clayton, who was killed in a car accident at age 22, a brother Lester of Erhard and a sister Edith Breeton of Underwood. She is survived by her sons, Dennis and Raleigh Miller of rural Osakis and a number of nieces and nephews.
Funeral services will be held for Belva on Monday, March 16 at 2:00 pm at the Osakis Lutheran Church with Rev. Rick Martin officiating. Interment is at the Gordon Pleasant Hill Cemetery in rural Osakis. Arrangements provided by the Roy-Hetland Funeral Home, Osakis, MN.