Sharon Wyse Miller, 79, Harrisonburg, Virginia, entered eternal rest May 16, 2023, surrounded by family. Sharon struggled with severe back pain since mid-December, with no significant relief or diagnosis found. Only three weeks before her passing, she was found to have pancreatic cancer. Following a few days of hospitalization and a stay at a rehab facility, Sharon’s wish was to complete her time on earth surrounded by family at home under hospice care.
Sharon was born to Mahlon and Frances Wenger Wyse on Nov. 26, 1943, in Henry County, Iowa. She attended a rural one room school and Olds, Iowa consolidated school for her grade school years. She graduated from Iowa Mennonite High School and pursued a nursing degree at Hesston College and graduated from Kansas City General Hospital School of Nursing.
In January 1965, she married Duane K. Miller of Wellman, Iowa. The rural Wellman farm was where she and Duane raised their family. In their early marriage, Sharon used her nursing skills in a local doctor’s office and nursing home. Once the children arrived, she always said she upgraded to “pediatric nursing”. In addition to farm activities, she involved herself in various volunteer functions such as editing a church conference periodical, Sunday school teaching, serving in leadership and speaking positions in the Mennonite conference women’s organization, and working with local pork producer promotions. She served as part time chaplain at a local nursing home for several years, served a term on the Hesston College Board of Overseers, and worked as Director of Development at Iowa Mennonite School for two years. She journaled extensively about farm life, the children, church, and current events.
Her many varied activities whetted her appetite for further education. At the University of Iowa, she channeled her former nursing credits towards an interdisciplinary program. She was conferred a degree of Bachelor of Arts with honors in Global Studies and with distinction.
She excelled in all those areas but from childhood she harbored a yearning for some type of mission or church work in another setting. She and Duane transitioned from farm life to three plus years with Mennonite Central Committee in Haiti. There she expanded her gifts in not only hosting a guest house but helping train local peasant leaders to exercise their gifts in rural leadership. Sharon felt so much love for those peasant pastor leaders who gave so much of themselves to their fellow country persons.
Sharon valued the Haitian experience in her life highly but she and Duane felt the need to be closer to their grandchildren. She also felt the call to additional training and enrolled at Eastern Mennonite Seminary, graduating in 1998 with a Master of Arts in Religion degree. She then accepted the challenge of pastoring smaller Mennonite churches, first in Burlington, Iowa and then in Ambler, Pennsylvania. Sharon very much enjoyed her 12 years as pastor but health issues necessitated retiring from active work at age 65. Since a majority of her children and grandchildren were in the Rockingham County, Virginia area, Harrisonburg became the retirement home. Interacting with her grandchildren at all ages was important for Sharon. As the grandchildren approached and reached adulthood those interactions became even more important to her. She enjoyed those conversations.
Sharon is survived by her husband: Duane; her children: Annette Marie (Rick) Martin, Steven Duane (Jessica Alexander), Susan Beth (Dwight) Huyard and Jonathan Yung Jin (Katie Quayle); brothers: Gene Wyse (Alice) and Ronald Wyse (Barb); sister: Rebecca; 11 grandchildren: Abigail Marrah (Jake), Zachary Martin, Mariah Martin, Nerel Voigt (Jack), Olivia Martin, Leah Huyard, Isaac Huyard, Luke Huyard, Ben Huyard, Liam Miller, Lachlan Miller; and three Marrah great grandsons: Ari, Malachi and Asher; and numerous cousins, nephews and nieces.
She was predeceased by her parents; brother: Richard; brothers-in-law: Kenneth Miller and James Yoder; nephew: Curtis Wyse; and niece: Patty Miller.
As per Sharon’s wishes, her ashes will be interred in the Memory Garden at Community Mennonite Church. Sharon requested that memorial contributions focus on work among the peasant population of Haiti. Since working with MCC Haiti, Sharon had ongoing contact with Missions Door representatives, Herode & Edoline Guillomettre, a couple working diligently for the spiritual and physical lives of Haitians. Memorial contributions may be sent to Community Mennonite Church, 70 South High Street, Harrisonburg, VA, 22801, and designated Wyse Miller Memorial.
A Celebration of Life service of remembrance and reflection will be held at Community Mennonite Church at 11a.m., Saturday, May 20, 2023. Visitation with family will be at the church on Friday evening 6-8 p.m. The service can be viewed live streamed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tT2k1Yf00M0
