SOUTHERN ILLINOIS – Mona Lee (Schwaner) Miller, passed away on June 17, 2025, at the age of 94.
Mona Lee was born in Fredericktown, Missouri, and spent the majority of her youth living on the family farm mistakenly believing her family to be wealthy, due primarily to the fact that there was on occasion, meat for dinner on Sundays. One of her favorite recollections from her childhood was the fear she felt when the Lindbergh baby was kidnapped. Mona felt either she or her sister, Betty would surely be next due to her wayward belief in her family’s ability to pay ransom.
Mona was a devoted wife, mother, grandmother and friend to many and enjoyed 74 years of companionship with her husband Leslie. Together they raised two sons in a home of unwavering love, relentless encouragement, fishing rods and bird dogs. The patience she displayed for the latter was but one testament to her love for her husband, sons and the two grandchildren she adored.
Mona’s professional life was highlighted by years of piano teaching and performing for countless weddings and funerals in Carbondale, as well as nearly 50 years of service to her Lord as church organist and choir director at First Christian Church Disciples of Christ. Be it the plinking of a reluctant piano student or her preparation of a Mozart sonata, Mona’s home was constantly filled with music and cheer.
Mona was preceded in death by her parents, Henry and Almeda Schwaner; and her husband, Leslie Roland Miller.
Those left to remember her include sons: Tim (Amy) Miller of St. Louis, MO, and Mark (Kathy) Miller of Benton, IL; granddaughters: Rachel Miller and Andrea Miller and their mother, Lisa Gariepy of Benton, IL; and her sister, Betty (Jack) Evans of Phoenix, AZ.
It may seem greedy to wish for more time with a person who lived so long. But the fact that my mother had 94 years only adds to the enormity of the “room” whose door has now been quietly shut.
Arrangements have been entrusted to Pate Funeral Home, 301 South Main Street, Benton, IL.
Per Mona’s wishes, cremation will take place.
A Celebration of Life for both Mona and her husband Leslie, will be held on Sunday, August 24, 2025, at First Christian Church, 306 West Monroe Street, Carbondale, IL.
Online condolences can be given at www.patefh.com.
