Cletus Samuel Miller, 93, of Mt. Pleasant, peacefully went home to be with the Lord on Saturday, February 11, 2023, at Park Place Elder Living in Mt. Pleasant. Visitation for family and friends will be 9:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Friday, February 17, 2023, at Peterseim Funeral Home in Kalona, IA, the funeral service will follow the visitation at 11:00 a.m. Pastor Tim Peter will officiate. The service will be available via Livestream at the Beatty Peterseim Facebook and Youtube pages. Burial will follow the service at East Union Mennonite Church, Kalona. A memorial fund has been established for Pine Lake Camp in Eldora, Iowa.
Cletus was born at home on December 13, 1929, in rural Kalona, the second of five children of Sam T. and Mary (Bender) Miller. He married Dorothy Hershberger at West Union Mennonite Church on January 7, 1951. He loved her dearly and enjoyed 72 years of marriage. Cletus was fortunate to live at home with Dorothy until the last two weeks. Cletus graduated from Iowa Mennonite High School near Kalona and went to Hesston College in Hesston, KS to receive a Bachelor of Arts degree in Religious Education. He received additional teaching and administration degrees from Colorado State Teachers College (now UNC), Creighton University, and the University of Nebraska at Omaha. He was a teacher, pastor, coach, and administrator over his career spanning Kansas, Colorado, Nebraska, and Iowa. His coaching career culminated with a loss in the 1965 Colorado state 8-man football championship where he was named the NE Colorado Coach of the Year. His administrative career started in 1965 and ended with retirement in 1996 while serving at Tri-Center, Prairie City, and South Tama schools. In 2015, Cletus was honored by the IHSAA with an Administrator Award at the Boys State Basketball Tournament. Cletus served on many church, civic, camp, and community boards and committees in his 70+ years of joyful service to others. He had the unique ability to communicate with people of all ages and backgrounds while making each person feel important. His love of sports began with his grade school basketball team and continued for his entire life.
He will be sorely missed by his wife, Dorothy of Mt. Pleasant; four children, Dr. Linwood (Judy) Miller of Mt. Pleasant, Ron (Wanda) Miller of Goshen, IN, Sharon Miller of Mt. Pleasant, and Anthony (Lisa) Miller of Anderson, SC; eight grandchildren, Tom “Buster” McGehearty, Laura Miller Bjork, and Jennifer Clark; Nick Miller, Nathan Miller and Natalie Miller; Hannah Miller and Sarah Taylor; nine great-grandchildren; sister Dolores Miller, sister-in-law Doris Redding, brother-in-law Jake Flisher and many nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his father, mother, and sisters Arvilla Flisher, Darlene Logan, and Loretta Kauffman.