100 Candles: Viola Miller

Viola Miller

Viola Miller of Duluth will celebrate her 100th birthday with an open house from 1-3 p.m. today in the club room at Lakeshore, 4002 London Road, Duluth.

Viola was born Feb. 17, 1913, in Duluth to Pauline and Fred W. Kersten. She grew up in West Duluth and attended Merritt Grade School and graduated from Denfeld High School in 1930.

She married James “Chub” Pyette and they lived in Brainerd, Minn., then at the mouth of the Baptism River. Upon returning to Duluth, she lived many years in the east end of the city. She lives at the Shores at Lakeshore.

Her daughter, Patricia, married Ralph Johnson and they live in Duluth. She has two grandsons, Donald (Theresa) Johnson and Richard (Rebecca) Johnson; one granddaughter, Peggy (Roger) Gustofson; six great-grandchildren; and five great-great-grandchildren.

Viola was a secretary for the meat cutters union and traveled by train to many union conventions. After her retirement, she volunteered for many years at St. Luke’s hospital.

She was active in the Pequaywan Lake Association and hosted her 70th high school class reunion in 2000.

Viola has lived a full and active life. Her family can only imagine the changes she has seen in her 36,500 days!

Her family says “Happy birthday, Granny! We love you!”

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