- Born on: October 29, 1951
- Departed on: January 7, 2025
- Resided in: Menlo, IA
Denise Kay Miller
Denise Kay (Cline) Miller, 73, of Menlo, Iowa passed away Tuesday morning, January 7, 2025. A celebration of life will be held Friday, January 17, 2025, from 11:00 A.M. to 2:00 P.M. at the Menlo Community Building, 417 Sherman St, Menlo, IA 50164. A private graveside service will be held at a later date.
She was born on October 29th, 1951, in Greenfield, Iowa, along with her twin brother Dennis to Barbara and LeRoy Cline.
Denise was raised in Menlo where she graduated from Menlo High School in 1969. After graduation, she attended Americana Beauty School in Des Moines, Iowa. Denise owned and operated her own beauty salon in Menlo for several years before she began her career at the post office in Guthrie Center and then later became the Postmaster in Menlo. In April of 2000, Denise became the owner of the Menlo Café until she retired in July of 2018.
She was a friend to all and was a woman of many talents running her own beauty salon, working as Postmaster, and serving up exceptional food and pies at the Café. She was proud of and dedicated to her community. She was a part of many organizations to ensure her small town thrived. She was the proud mother of two sons from her first marriage and met her life partner, Stu, while running the Café. He became her cherished companion and handyman. Through Stu, she gained a daughter, Tiffany (Dan) Scharfenkamp of Waukee. Denise adored her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Family gatherings were her happiest moments, where she could be found in the heart of the home - the kitchen - cooking and creating memories with those she loved most.
She will be greatly missed by her sons Corey (Lacey) Miller of Urbandale and Tracy Miller of Ogden; grandchildren Olivia (AJ) Ostrander, Taylor O’Rourke, Abram Miller, and Keigan and Addisyn Miller; and great-grandchildren Quinton Sweeney and Violet and Haven Ostrander. Those also left to cherish her memory are her siblings Darrell Cline of Madrid and Dennis (Shirley) Cline of Stuart, and her nieces and nephews and their families.
She was preceded in death by her father LeRoy, her mother Barbara, her life partner Stu, and her grandson Parker James Miller.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be directed to Denise's sons for a fitting tribute to be decided later.
