Funeral Services for 80-year-old Sandra Miller of Atlantic will be Saturday, November 28th at 10:30 AM at the Roland Funeral Home in Atlantic. Open Visitation will be Saturday, November 28th from 8:00 AM to 10:30 AM at the funeral home. Burial will be at the Atlantic Cemetery. Masks and Social Distancing will be required. The Roland Funeral Service is in charge of arrangements.
Sandra Jean was born on May 31, 1940, in Atlantic, Iowa, the daughter of Lester Ernest and Susie Maye (Landon) Silvey. She grew up in Atlantic and at the age of nine started visiting local churches to find a Sunday School program that she thought fit her best; the First United Presbyterian Church being her pick. Every Sunday she would get dressed in her “Sunday Best” and walk to church. While she was in high school the family moved to Des Moines and Sandra graduated from Lincoln High School in 1958. While there she met her future husband, Keith Michael Miller. The couple married on February 2, 1958, and were blessed with five children. During their 13 years of marriage they lived back and forth between Iowa and California; never being able to decide because Iowa was where family was and California was a place they loved.
In 1970, she moved back to Iowa for good; living in Des Moines, Creston and back home to Atlantic in 2013. Sandra worked for Des Moines Asphalt for several years and later Carlson’s Road Paving until her retirement at the age of 62. As her kids began their own lives, she looked forward to heading off to one of their homes for weeks or months at a time to visit. Time spent with them was cherished by both Sandra and her family.
To say that Sandra was versed in many different hobbies and interests would be an understatement. She loved to dance; tap and jazz being her favorites. Sandra took lessons as a kid, and once she started to excel, her mom took her out refusing to pay because Sandra was actually the one teaching the new steps and choreography, not the instructor. She also was a natural at baton twirling and acrobatics. She was in many parades and performed at the Iowa State Fair. While she was in school, she also participated in synchronized swimming and softball. Sandra was gifted when it came to crafts and thinking up new ideas; something that was helpful in her four years as a Girl Scout Leader. Her creative side went far beyond just a craft here and there; she painted many art pieces including some large canvases and also did home remodeling. She helped the kids in numerous house projects that spanned from simple fixes and painting to new roofs, sheetrocking, wallpapering, and refinishing floors.
Sandra’s love of travel led her to explore the Country and only began with trips to her kids’ homes. She went on adventures coast to coast; Colorado and Florida being a few of her favorites. Sandra was hoping to get to Colorado one last time and had great memories of the time she took the train to Grand Junction. A few of her other favorite trips included Disneyland and a cruise to the Bahamas. Sandra looked forward to attending plays, theatre performances, and dances. Sandra was enamored with nature; watching the birds and squirrels daily in her later years. She was amazed at their daily routines and the care they took at building their nest and feeding their babies.
She most recently had attended First Assembly Church (now Hillside Hope). Her children will be forever grateful that she passed along to them a strong faith and belief in Jesus Christ. Family and serving the Lord were her top priorities.
Sandra’s children loved her to the moon and back and will miss hearing her say, “I love you, always and forever.” She will be deeply missed by her children, David M. (Denice) Miller of Urbandale, Vickie S. (Keith) Jespersen of Atlantic, Cynthia L. Miller of Des Moines and Daniel P. Miller of Des Moines; 13 grandchildren; and 15 great-grandchildren.
She is preceded in death by her parents, Lester and Susie Silvey; son, Joseph Christopher Miller; and infant brother, Joseph Carl Silvey.
Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m., Saturday, November 28th at Roland Funeral Home in Atlantic. Burial will be in the Atlantic Cemetery. Open visitation will begin at 8:00 a.m., Saturday until the time of the service; no visitation with the family present is planned. Due to current guidelines face masks are required and social distancing will be observed.
Roland Funeral Service is caring for Sandra’s family and her arrangements. Condolences may be left at www.rolandfuneralservice.com.
