Vera Miller, 88, of Hot Springs, passed away peacefully on October 3, 2026.

She was born to the late Willi & Hedwig (Reiss) Hesse, January 13, 1938, in Trier, Germany.

She married Richard (Gene) Miller in 1961, and they lived together on the family ranch in Hot Springs. Vera is survived by three children: Thomas Miller (Penni), of Hot Springs; Michael Krause (Teresa), of Kalamazoo; and Karen Cain (Leon), of Hot Springs, eleven grandchildren and many great-grandchildren. She is also survived by her brother Ralf (Wulfeld) Hesse of Germany. Vera was predeceased by her loving husband in 2004, her parents and her granddaughter Jennifer.

Vera was a giving, kind and adventurous person. The one word that everyone described Vera was “feisty”. She enjoyed 4 wheeling around the ranch, helping take care by bottle feeding baby calves, spending time with family, traveling and playing the piano. Vera especially loved to shop! With her best friend Sandy, they would pack up and go to Rapid City, and sometimes would be gone for two days. She was always “dressed to the nines” even to clean the house and that meant a lot of shopping was needed. Holidays were always special for her. Christmas with everyone gathered to spend time together and Easter with her famous egg hunts. She always wanted to find the most! Vera was a wonderful mother, and leaves behind nothing but beautiful memories.

The service will take place October 8, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. at the McColley’s Funeral Home with the burial following at the Minnekahta Valley Cemetery. Visitation will be held at 9:30 a.m. preceding the service.