Agnes Miller

Memorial services for Agnes Miller, of Morris, Minnesota, will be held on Friday, January 5, 2024, at 10:30 a.m. at Assumption Catholic Church in Morris.  Father Todd Schnieder will celebrate the Mass.  A visitation will be on Thursday, January 4, from 5-7:00 p.m. with a prayer service at 7:00 p.m. at the Pedersen Funeral Home and will continue one hour prior to the service at the church on Friday.  Burial will be at Calvary Cemetery in Morris.  

Agnes Elizabeth (Ascheman) Miller was the daughter of Henry and Rose (Bach) Ascheman.  Agnes was born at home in Fairfield Township, Swift County, Appleton, Minnesota, on December 28, 1936.  She was the 6^th of 13 children.  Agnes grew up during the depression.  She often said that even though they were poor, her parents always managed to welcome extra hands, workers, friendships, and family to their home.  Agnes learned to be loving and caring from her parents and brothers and sisters.  As she grew, more and more responsibility was put on her and she followed their lead in helping and taking charge where needed around the house.  She often could be found holding a baby, feeding them a bottle or entertaining them.  She said it was like Grand Central Station around their house!  The house was small and with so much family, there was always something going on.  Her older siblings would always take them with or try to include them – she said it was so much fun, you didn’t have time to think that you were poor.  Agnes also helped her mom with gardening and canning, and remembered her mom counting the number of jars they had completed that year – usually over 500 quarts!  Agnes attended country school along with her siblings, and then attended Appleton High School where she graduated on June 4, 1954.  The following Monday, Agnes started her first job working at People’s Dairy as a bookkeeper.  The business was later sold to Golden Cream.  In 1959, Agnes took a job working at the KMRS Radio Station where she prepared the daily log and read notices twice a day on the radio.  She loved that job because she was always up on the current news. After graduation, Agnes lived in town with her Aunt Margaret McCarthy.  On weekends, she would stop at the grocery store and buy baking supplies and then drive home and start baking up a storm.  She often talked about how just a little thing like a slice of banana bread or a newly tried recipe for bars could make you feel so welcome. 

In 1961, her brother, Richard, introduced Franklin Miller to Agnes at a dance in Clontarf.  The couple dated for about a year; and on November 9, 1962, Agnes and Franklin Miller were married.  The first year, they lived near Donnelly on a small farm and one year later, in November of 1963, they moved to the Miller home farm, in Morris Township, Stevens County, Morris, Minnesota.  The next four years following their marriage were busy, with a baby born each year – Joseph, Annette, John and David.  Agnes quit her job and stayed at home to help Franklin on the farm and to take care of her active little ones.  Together, they raised hogs and chickens, and always put in a large garden.  During the summers, they would work hard but the weekends were always for family and friends.  Winters you would find them on the lake in a fish house or keeping warm in the deep winter snow storms.  As the kids got older, Agnes decided to go back to work at St. Mary’s as the assistant cook.  Three years later, she became the head cook.  At that time, she and her sister, Bernice, started making salads at the Diamond Club.  Agnes looked forward to those Wednesdays because she and Bernie would get to be together and they would have fun trying out new recipes and sharing ideas.  Agnes retired from the head cook position and worked at Wente’s Home Furnishing twice a week for several years.

Agnes died peacefully, on December 28, 2023, her 87^th birthday, at Julia’s Place in Hancock. 

Agnes is preceded in death by her parents: Henry and Rose; her husband, Franklin Miller; son, David Miller; and siblings: baby girl Ascheman, Rose Ann, Harold, Richard, Mary ‘Marge’, Roy, Robert, Melvin, Carol; and several brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law.

She is survived by her children: Joseph Miller of Lakeville, Annette (Mike) Otto of Glenwood, and John (Heather) Miller of St. Michael; grandchildren: Amanda, Austin, Jordan, Hannah, Brandi, Rose, Kyle, Jesse, Madison, and Keely; great-grandchildren: Aubrey, Jack, Mila, Jason, Waylon, Cheyenne, Eleanor, and Elizabeth; and siblings: Rita Johnson, Ronald (Donna) Ascheman, and Bernice Wente.

Pedersen Funeral Home in Morris is in care of arrangements for Agnes.