Carol Ann Miller, a West Bend woman whose life centered on family, faith, food service and caring for others, has died at the age of 78.
Miller passed away Sunday, May 31, 2026, at Iowa Methodist Medical Center in Des Moines.
She was born Nov. 12, 1947, in West Bend, the daughter of Joseph Thomas and Veronica Higgins. She attended Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic School and graduated from West Bend High School with the class of 1966. She later enrolled at La James School of Cosmetology in Mason City before beginning work at Berkley’s Fishing Tackle in Emmetsburg.
Carol married Steve Miller on April 18, 1969. The couple shared 52 years of marriage before Steve’s death in 2021. Together, they raised four children on a farm northeast of Rolfe before moving to West Bend in 1984.
Her working life reflected the same steady, helpful spirit she brought to her family. Carol operated an in-home daycare, worked at the West Bend Motel, helped manage football concessions with Steve, and spent years serving the community through the Grotto Restaurant, Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic School, Ampride and Tina Marie’s Bakery.
At the Grotto Restaurant, Carol worked as a server and cook, later joined by Steve on the evening shift. She was known there for serving ice cream, burgers and a turkey club sandwich that became one of her specialties.
Carol also spent seven years as the hot lunch cook at Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic School. After her children left home, she returned to the school as secretary, continuing her connection to the church and school community that had shaped much of her life.
In retirement, Carol enjoyed her grandchildren’s activities, sewing, scrapbooking, baking, shopping and time with friends and family. Her monster cookies were especially loved by those around her.
A lifetime member of Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church, Carol volunteered with Ladies Aid and church suppers. Her family remembers her as a caretaker who consistently put others first.
Carol is survived by her children, Chad Miller and his wife, Carolyn, of Bettendorf; Nicole Miller of West Des Moines; Stacie Wright and her husband, Dan, of Cumming; and Emily Dierickx and her husband, Phil, of Iowa City; eight grandchildren; and her sister, Jane Johnston and her husband, Dick, of Creston.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Steve; her parents; her brother, John; her in-laws, Herbert and Phyllis Miller; and her sister-in-law, Patty Shirk.
A Mass of Christian Burial was scheduled for Friday, June 5, 2026, at Divine Mercy Catholic Parish – Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church in West Bend, with inurnment at West Bend Cemetery. Memorials may be directed to Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church in West Bend.
Lentz Funeral Home of West Bend is handling arrangements. To read more and see the full obituary, please click here.
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