LaVerne J. Miller

LaVerne J. Miller, 101, of Iowa City, Iowa, passed away peacefully on August 13, 2026.

She was born November 26, 1924 in Minneapolis, Minnesota to George and Agnes Hendrickson, attending grade school and high school in Minneapolis. Following graduation she worked as a bank teller and as an airline stewardess. In 1949 she married Everett Woodrow Miller and moved with him to Des Moines, Iowa. After brief stays in Des Moines, Grinnell, and Oakville, Iowa, they moved in 1956 to Burlington, Iowa where Everett worked as a manager for Montgomery Wards. Sons Steven and John were born in 1952 and 1954. Following Everett's death in 1971, LaVerne worked as an executive assistant at Champion Products in Burlington.

In 1956, John was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia Ossificans Progressiva, a rare and painful muscle disease that progressed until he was left bedridden shortly after High School. LaVerne provided him with loving care in her home for the next forty years. Following John's death in 2017, she moved to Melrose Meadows, a retirement community in Iowa City, Iowa, to be closer to Steve and his family.

LaVerne is survived by her son Steven Paul Miller and his wife Ann Marie Rhodes of Iowa City, granddaughters Kathleen Kennedy Miller, Elizabeth Rhodes Miller, and Mary Caroline Rhodes, and great-grandchildren Lachlan and Callum Miller. She was preceded in death by her parents, husband Everett, sister Lorraine Hendrickson, brother George Hendrickson, and son John.

The funeral service for Mrs. Miller will be 10:00 AM Saturday, September 12, 2026, at Prugh Funeral Service, 3940 Division Street. Burial will be in Aspen Grove Cemetery. A time of food and fellowship will be held in the community room at Prugh Funeral Service following the burial.

In honor of Laverne's memory, the Miller family requests donations be made to the International FOP Association and the Bird House of Iowa City. 

Laverene Miller dutifully dedicated her life to caring for her son, John, who was afflicted with fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP). In her memory, please make a donation below to the International FOP Association to support research for FOP during the fundraising campaign, "In Pursuit of a Cure."  https://ifopa.salsalabs.org/2026InPursuitofaCureCampaign/p/lavernemiller/index.html

The Bird House is a hospice center in Iowa City dedicated to providing compassionate, dignified, end-of-life care, where Laverne was lovingly cared for in her final days. Please make a donation to their link below to provide similar services to others in need.  https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LZGYAGWW5CUEQ#

To send flowers to the family, please visit our floral store.