Jolene Miller

Jolene Miller, 91, of Wakefield, Nebraska, passed away peacefully in her sleep on December 3, 2025, at Pender Community Hospital in Pender, Nebraska. She is lovingly remembered by her daughters: Susan Miller and grandson Joseph Janssen of Wellsburg, Iowa; Joan (Miller) and son-in-law Douglas Murray and granddaughter Sarah of Fort Calhoun, Nebraska; and Kristi Miller and fiancé James Brannen of Panora, Iowa. She is also survived by her brother Joe Randy and sister-in-law Judy Micanek of Lynch, Nebraska; many cherished nieces and nephews; and extended family. 

Funeral services will be held Saturday, December 20, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. at St. John Lutheran Church in Wakefield, Nebraska, with Reverend Ronald Holling and Reverend William Bertrand officiating. Visitation will take place the same day from 10:00 a.m. until the service begins. Burial will follow at Wakefield Cemetery.

 Jolene was born on Thanksgiving Day, November 27, 1934, in the family home on the farm north of Lynch, Nebraska, to Joseph and Gertrude (Elfline) Micanek. She was baptized in 1947 and confirmed into the Christian faith on July 27, 1948, by Reverend Bernard Raabe, a circuit rider for the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod. 

Her family were charter members of Christ Lutheran Church in Lynch, Nebraska, where Jolene played an active role in building the church alongside her father. She designed and cut out the altar decorations. Jolene remained a faithful believer throughout her life.

 She attended District 32 Country School from first through eighth grade and graduated from Lynch High School in 1951. After high school, Jolene completed Normal Training at Wayne State College, which allowed her to begin teaching at just 16 years old. She taught for three years at District 32 near her family farm and then three more years in a rural one-room schoolhouse in Cedar County.

 While attending summer classes at Wayne State College, Jolene met Elton E. Miller on a blind date. They married on August 17, 1957, at Christ Lutheran Church in Lynch and made their home on the Miller family farm west of Wakefield, where Jolene lived until her passing. 

Growing up, Jolene loved the outdoors, riding motorcycles, driving stock cars, caring for animals, painting, and teaching. She was a founding member of the Ponca Valley Motorcycle Club. Her passion for education continued throughout her life—she worked as a substitute teacher for decades and later as a paraprofessional and remote learning coordinator at Wayne Public Schools from 1996 to 2013. 

Teaching children to read was her lifelong mission, and every August she requested new books and supplies for her students. 

A devoted mother, Jolene instilled a love of learning in her daughters, teaching them to read and do arithmetic before kindergarten. She encouraged all three to attend and graduate from Concordia University in Seward, Nebraska. 

Jolene rarely missed a sporting event, musical performance, or milestone in her daughters’ lives, making every holiday and celebration special. 

Her interests were many—playing bridge, traveling by motorhome to 48 states, cruising to Alaska, flying to Hawaii, reading, cooking, gardening, sewing, making banners, volunteering, and watching Elvis Presley movies. She was active at St. John Lutheran Church as a Sunday School teacher, banner maker, altar guild, and Ladies Aid member. Jolene also belonged to the Wakefield American Legion Auxiliary and the local PEO chapter. 

Jolene found great joy in children—her own, her students, her grandchildren, and in recent years, the children of her dedicated caregivers. 

Jolene will be deeply missed. Jolene was a devoted wife, loving grandmother, and beloved mother. She will be remembered by all for her humor, wisdom, and unwavering devotion to family and faith. 

She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Elton E. Miller; siblings Dwight Micanek and Lavonne Bentz; brothers-in-law Bill Bentz and Paul Gerdes; sisters-in-law Marian Gerdes and Delores Micanek; and son-in-law Charles Janssen.