Obituary for Elinore J. Miller

She was born October 7, 1937, in La Crosse, to Lester and Florence (Jacobs) Thiele. Elinore attended Central High School in La Crosse where she was proud to be one of the “golden girls” , a group of 7 girlfriends who had remained friends all these years. She just celebrated her 70th class reunion.

Elinore met Donald “Donnie” Miller at the Avalon Ballroom and they were married on May 14, 1957, at St. John’s Reformed Church in La Crosse. They were blessed with three daughters, Linda, Diane, and Lois. Elinore was the heart of her home, lovingly raising her daughters, and she was also an invaluable partner to Donnie in his businesses. From bookkeeping to painting barns, no task was too big or too small for her.

A devout woman of Christ, she was an active member of St. John’s Ev. Lutheran Church in Barre Mills where she enjoyed singing in the choir and serving with the ladies aid.

Elinore’s favorite pastimes included playing cards, dancing, and traveling with her daughters. She loved rummage sales and auctions, which she often attended with her husband, and she remained an enthusiastic bowler from the mid-1970s until just a few years ago.

Survivors include her three daughters, Linda (Ted) Hoth of Bangor, Diane (Tony) Nickelatti of La Crosse, and Lois (Greg) Scriver of Bangor; 10 grandchildren, Ben (Pam) Hoth of Bangor, Chris (Kelly) Hoth of Waddell, Ariz., Tiffany (Alfredo) Soto of Phoenix, Ariz., Kim (Travis) Fischer of Stoddard, Andrew (Kristen) Nickelatti of Hortenville, Wis., Sarah Nickelatti of La Crosse, Daniel (Katie) Scriver of Bangor, Joshua (Melissa) Scriver of Rockland, Jacob (Carlie) Scriver of Barre Mills, and Rachel Brad Wilczynski of Hanover, Minn.; 21 great-grandchildren; two nephews, Jeff Mellem and Rick (Pam) Mellem; and many friends.

Elinore was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Donnie in November of 2019; father-in-law and mother-in-law, Marvin and Helen Miller; and sister-in-law, Darlene (Bill) Mellem.

A Christian Funeral Service will be held at 11:00 a.m., Saturday, December 27, 2025, at St. John’s Ev. Lutheran Church in Barre Mills. Rev. Andrew Schultz will officiate. Burial will follow in the church cemetery.

A visitation will be held from 9:30 a.m., until the time of service, Saturday, at the church.

In lieu of flowers or gifts, the family kindly requests memorial contributions to be made in Elinore’s honor to St. John’s Ev. Lutheran Church in Barre Mills.

Online condolences may be shared with her family at this site.