Bernice J. Miller, 88, formerly of Merrill, Iowa, died Friday, May 5, 2017, at Pioneer Valley Living and Rehab in Sergeant Bluff.
Memorial services will be 10:30 a.m. Wednesday at St. Michael Catholic Church in Sioux City. Visitation will be 4 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, with a prayer service at 6:30 p.m., at Larkin Chapel, Christy-Smith Funeral Home.
Bernice J. Lansink, the daughter of Benjamin and Christina (Arnts) Lansink, was born May 3, 1929, in rural Ida County, Iowa.
On March 31, 1948, Bernice was united in marriage with Wilbur H. Miller at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Ida Grove, Iowa. They farmed in Galva, Iowa, for several years before moving to Sioux City in 1961. Bernice was a waitress at the Hawkeye Club and a CNA at St. Joseph Hospital. They moved to Moville, Iowa, in 1972, where she was an Avon representative. In 1977, the couple moved to Merrill, Iowa, where Bernice worked as a babysitter. The couple had been married for 57 years when Wilbur died Jan. 1, 2006.
Bernice was a longtime member of Assumption Catholic Church in Merrill, where she was an active choir member. In 2016, she moved to Northern Hills in Sioux City, and joined St. Michael’s Catholic Church. Bernice enjoyed gardening, camping, crocheting and sewing.
Bernice is survived by her children, James (Tammy) Miller of Sioux City, Mary Leigh of Sioux City, Linda (Pat) McCarville of Sloan, Iowa, Margaret Berry of Sioux City, Mark (Lori) Miller of New Richmond, Wis., Greg (Susan) Miller of Merrill, Iowa, and Theresa Miller of Omaha; 14 grandchildren; many great-grandchildren; a sister, Leona (John) Breaman of Ida Grove, Iowa; a brother, Richard (Karen) Lansink of Ida Grove; and a brother-in-law, Phil Topf.
She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Wilbur; a sister, Dorothy; and a daughter-in-law, Jeanne Miller.