Edwin D Miller

Kalona- Edwin D. Miller, 91, of Kalona, died Wednesday morning, August 14, 2024, at the University of Iowa Medical Center Downtown.

Ed was born October 10, 1932 in Howard County, Indiana to Dan H. Miller and Katie L. Miller. At 7 years old he moved with his family in 1940 to a farm northwest of Kalona, Iowa. He grew up there with his siblings Anna, Paul, Henry, Levi, Daniel Jr, and Martha. He attended Brush #8 and graduated from Iowa Mennonite School in 1951.

After 1 year at Hesston College in Kansas, he was drafted and served as a conscientious objector in Evanston, Illinois as part of the 1W program. He worked in a hospital on the floor that treated polio patients from 1953-1955. He also started taking classes towards his education degree.

Ed’s first teaching job was at Prairie Dale, a one room school near Kalona. It was during this time that he courted and married Mary Jane Shetler of Kalona on June 11, 1957. They celebrated 67 years together in June. 

Mary Jane survives along with 5 children; Marcus (Beth) and Tony (Diane), of Wellman, IA; Cheryl (Tobin) Shearer of Missoula, MT; Ed (Sue) of Akron, PA; and Tim (Tonya), of Goshen, IN; 11 grandchildren: Erin, Dirk, Abbie, Seth, Madeline, Dylan, Zach, Alma, Laura, Preston, Peyton, and 5 great-grandchildren.

There were many places that Ed called home during his life. After marrying, he and Mary Jane moved to Harrisonburg, VA, where Ed continued his education at Eastern Mennonite College through 1960. A teaching job in Nampa, Idaho took the family there from 1961-1965, and from there it was back to Iowa where Ed earned his Masters of Administration from the University of Iowa. Ed’s first principalship was at the Amana School District for 4 years and in 1972 the family moved to Wellman, where Ed was principal until his retirement in 1995. While principal at Wellman Elementary he concurrently held positions at West Chester Elementary, Washington Township, and a local Amish school. Ed also thought he could keep his sons out of trouble by living on an 80-acre farm that raised cattle, hogs, chickens, corn, beans, and hay.

Ed was a longtime member of Kalona Mennonite church where he served as an elder, councilmember, Sunday School teacher and answered the call whenever he was needed to sing for a funeral. Beyond all that, Ed lived out his faith in service to others. Ed served in Voluntary Service at Calling Lake, Alberta before he was married, and after retirement Ed and Mary Jane served at Jubilee Partners in Comer, GA, Camp Deerpark near New York City, MDS in College Station, Arkansas, and were hosts at the International Guesthouse in Washington, DC.

Locally Ed and Mary Jane volunteered at the Crowded Closet and Ten Thousand Villages, and Ed led bus tours with the Kalona Historical Village. Ed also gained a reputation as an excellent sewing machine repairman and was referred to by some locals as “Sewing Machine Ed”. At any given time his workshop was cluttered with sewing machines waiting to be fixed.

Ed loved woodworking and loved making things for his grandchildren. All of his grandkids have one of his barns, doll houses, or marble rollers.

Another of Ed’s passions was family history. His office was full of thick family histories and he published several genealogies of his own, including Miller Family History and Descendants of Henry B. Miller, and Miller Family History and Descendants of Levi J. Miller, Susan Beachy and Lizzie Schlabach. 

While raising his children with Mary Jane, Ed fostered a respect for other cultures by hosting countless international students and families attending the U of I, and an exchange student from Brazil. Ed was also a longtime member of the Wellman Rotary Club which focused on global issues. One of the more memorable events was when Ed volunteered Mary Jane to prepare and host a meal for a group of important Chinese dignitaries.

Ed and Mary Jane also traveled to various parts of the world, including Mexico, El Salvador, Honduras, Israel, and Switzerland.

A Celebration of Life Service will be 11:00 am, Saturday, August 24, 2024, at Kalona Mennonite Church. Burial will be 9:30 am, Saturday at the East Union Cemetery. Visitation will be from 3:00 - 6:00 pm, Friday, August 23, 2024, at Kalona Mennonite Church. A memorial fund has been established for Crooked Creek Christian Camp and Crowded Closet. Messages may be left at www.powellfuneralhomes.com. Yoder Powell Funeral Home in Kalona is caring for Edwin D. and his family.