Olive E Miller

May 5, 1934 - January 24, 2022

Olive Miller, 87, of Thornton, passed away Monday, January 24, 2022 at Independence Village Senior Living in Waukee. Funeral services will be held 10:30 am, Friday, January 28, at the Thornton United Methodist Church with Pastor Deb Devine presiding. Interment will be at Pleasant View Cemetery, Thornton. Visitation will be at Counsell Woodley Funeral Home, 107 N 2nd St., Thornton, 4:00 – 6:00 pm, Thursday. Olive Evelyn Miller was born May 5, 1934, at Forest City, Iowa a daughter of Sven and Lena (Chentland) Meling. She graduated from Forest City High School and LaJames College in Mason City. While attending a R.Y.P. (Rural Young People) Social at the Surf Ballroom Olive met Lyle Miller. The couple married in 1957 in Forest City and took over the Miller Family Farm at Thornton. The couple was blessed with 2 daughters Kathy and JoAnn. Olive was a traditional farm wife, working hard raising the children, assisting with bookwork and making meals. She also always was welcoming to visitors, making sure they were always fed well no matter how much notice she had of their arrival. She could provide a delicious meal from whatever she had handy. Olive was able to visit Norway, where her father was from and kept strong contacts with her relatives there. She enjoyed time spent with her family, making afghans and quilts, doing puzzles and playing cards. In later years she enjoyed day trips Lyle and Olive took, just to see the countryside and stop at locally owned shops and markets. Surviving family includes her daughters: Kathy Miller, Des Moines; JoAnn (Brian) Olson, Clive; granddaughters: Kaitlin (Alex) Pals; Riley Olson; Sister Dorothy Bang and brother Sylvan Meling, both of Forest City. Olive is preceded in death by her parents, husband Lyle in 2020 and one brother and 2 sisters.