Leon Miller

Leon C. Miller age 82 of Ionia, IA, died Friday, April 29, 2022, at the Perry Lutheran Home in Perry, IA. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11:00 a.m. Friday, May 6, 2022, at St. Boniface Catholic Church, Ionia, with Rev. Brian Dellaert celebrating the Mass. Friends may greet the family 5:00 - 7:00 p.m. Thursday, May 5, 2022, at St. Boniface Catholic Church, Ionia. There will not be a viewing on the morning of the Mass. Hugeback-Johnson Funeral Home & Crematory of New Hampton is entrusted with arrangements. Leon Cletus Miller was born May 30, 1939, in New Hampton, IA, the son of William and Marie (Flick) Miller, and he grew up on a farm near North Washington, where he received his education and helped his parents with a variety of farm chores. It was on the farm where Leon learned a work ethic that he would retain for the rest of his life. He worked for more than 30 years at Hydrotile in Nashua and also farmed on the side. But the true mark he made in life was on his family and friends, for Leon was the kind of guy who always put others before himself. Leon married Jeanne Schwickerath on Feb. 10, 1959, and they settled in Ionia, where they welcomed their seven children — Jack, Cindy, Cathy, Mike, Janet, and the twins, Jerry and Jim. The Miller children have a plethora of wonderful memories when it comes to their father. There were the times he pulled the sleds behind a car on the frozen pond during the winter. There were the numerous weekend camping trips the family took during the summer. There were the lessons he delivered on planting a garden and the often futile efforts to get the kids to put the tools back where they got them! Make no mistake about it, though, Leon was a great teacher to his children, and he was the dad that had many talents to keep the Miller family up and running. He could remodel a house inside and out, he and Jeanne made beautiful craft presents, he could fix up and paint pretty much any of the cars the kids drove. He could literally fix anything, and he was the go-to guy for not only his family but many of his friends. The Miller children will tell you that their dad was quite an athlete, too, and they can tell you quite a few funny stories. Leon thought he was a champion fire walker and even had an extra pair of firewalking boots he carried in his camper. They also will tell you that Dad jumped off a ladder into the back of a pickup truck filled with dirt and managed to land on his feet. OK, maybe he fell, but the story is a lot better with him landing on his feet, right? He may have been quiet at times, but when he was with his buddies, trust us, they had a good time. The camping group men built campfire tripods once, and they all thought they “won” the competition. And Leon and his buddies always inspected each other’s home improvement projects just to see who could find the mistakes first. Leon had a large collection of John Deere toy tractors that he proudly displayed for years, and his Christmas village collection grew to the point that it took up most of the Miller living room. One of his favorite sayings to his kids when he didn’t quite agree with what they were saying was “you’re nuttier than a fruitcake,” and one year, each of the Miller children wrapped up each present with a fruitcake. In short, he taught his children well. You worked hard, but you always put your family and friends first. Leon did that for his entire life, and maybe one of his sons said it best when he wrote “the one thing that I can say is I wouldn’t be the man that I am today without the teaching of a great Dad.” Survivors include his wife, Jeanne of Perry, IA; four sons, Jack (Cathy) Miller of CA, Mike (Heidi) Miller of Urbandale, Jim (Michelle) Miller of Waukee, Jerry (Shannon) Miller of Waukee; three daughters, Cindy (Bill) Flesch of Waukee, Cathy (Dale) King of Lawler, Janet Kovalsky of Waukee; twelve grandchildren, Abby (Rafal) Kuchta, Erica (Mike) Wadas, Brooke Miller, Mackenzie Flesch, Hunter Flesch, Madison Flesch, Steph (Adam) Bowersox, Holly (Chris) Hulke, Christopher Kovalsky, Justin Kovalsky, Brandon Miller, Ashley Miller; five great-grandchildren, Jase Bowersox, Cooper Bowersox, Maya Kuchta, Zoey Kuchta, Lucy Hulke; one sister, Florence Flugge of St. Ansgar. He was preceded in death by his parents; two brothers, Dennis Miller and Jerome (Catherine) Miller; son-in-law, David Kovalsky; brother-in-law, Alden Flugge.