Roberta Lorraine Miller

Roberta Lorraine Miller, 100, passed away April 17 at Valley Vista Good Samaritan Center, Wamego, where she had been a resident for seven years.

  Roberta was born November 2, 1917, at Broderick, KS, the daughter of Alexander and Margaret (Atkinson) Hutchinson. The family moved to a farm one-half mile north of Wamego when Roberta was two. She attended Wamego schools and Kansas State University, where she was a member of Alpha Delta Pi sorority. She graduated in 1939 with a degree in music.

  Following graduation, Roberta taught music to grade and high school students in Jennings, a small community in northwest Kansas. She organized and directed a band and provided piano accompaniment for vocal groups. She thoroughly enjoyed the experience which resulted in lifelong friendships.

  Returning to Wamego in 1942, Roberta married LeRoy Miller on Kansas Day, January 29, 1943. They purchased 80 acres and a farmhouse southeast of Wamego in 1944, and began building their farming-livestock operation. After 33 years on the farm, they built a house and moved to Wamego. LeRoy and Roberta were named Master Farmer/ Master Homemaker for their commitment to agriculture and new ideas in 1994 by Kansas State Research and Extension.

  As a farm wife in the early years, Roberta cooked for harvest crews, helped with bookkeeping, and sometimes drove the tractor for the hay baler. She faced challenges like cleaning up after the 1951 flood which left mud and 10 feet of water in the farmhouse. An advocate for 4-H, she helped her children with 4-H projects and made sure they attended 4-H camp at Rock Springs Ranch in Junction City, a place that was special to her.

  Roberta expressed her love of music by encouraging her children to sing and play an instrument. She helped form and provide piano accompaniment for a vocal trio, “The Three J’s,” which performed at many local events, and included her daughter Jan. She was always willing to play the piano and lead group sing-alongs.

  Roberta believed in community involvement and service. She was a member of Wamego’s United Methodist Church for 85 years, joining as a youth. She sang in the church choir and was active in United Methodist Women. As a P.E.O. and Portia Club member for 50 years, and 75 year member-Order of Eastern Star, Roberta valued the friendships made and enjoyed presenting programs when it was her turn. She was also a member of American Agri-Women, the Wamego Historical Society, Wamego Chamber of Commerce, Wamego Senior Center, and The Columbian Theatre and Arts Center.

  LeRoy and Roberta traveled extensively including farm tours to South America, Europe, and the Scandinavian countries. Roberta especially enjoyed a trip to Ireland where she visited her father’s birthplace.

  Roberta is survived by daughters, Judy Scammon, Prairie Village, and Jan Crocker (Jack) Manhattan; grandsons, Matthew Crocker, Manhattan, and Mark Miller and Marshal Miller, Wamego; nieces Norma Falwell, Overland Park, Betty Campbell, Manhattan, and Jackie Wulff, Topeka; nephews Jake Mertz, Topeka, and Randy Miller, Ft. Myers, FL, and eight great grandchildren. She was preceded in death by LeRoy in 2010 and her son, Jerry, in 2013, sisters Bernice and Edna, brother, Floyd, and one nephew, Harold Mertz.

  Funeral services for Mrs. Miller will be held at 11:00 a.m. Tuesday, April 24, 2018 at the Stewart Funeral Home of Wamego. Burial will follow in Wamego City Cemetery. Family will greet friends during a visitation beginning one hour prior to the funeral service Tuesday. In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to the Wamego United Methodist Church (for youth ministry), and may be left in care of Stewart Funeral Home, PO Box 48, 66547.