Bette Ann Miller

Bette Ann Miller, age 98, passed peacefully on Friday, September 18, 2026, in her apartment at The Orchards at Armada Independent Living Facility.

Bette was born July 31, 1928, in Detroit and was the third child born to Robert Lawson and Lenore Heppner Lyons. The Lyons family moved to Romeo very early in her life where her family ran a successful plumbing business in the village for many years. She and Marv were married in 1952 and lived in Romeo their entire lives until the move to The Orchards where she maintained her independence right up to the end.

Early on Bette worked part-time as a pre-school teacher at the Romeo Youth Center but it was her family and home that were her biggest prides and love. She loved her home and it reflected her innate sense of style; also a wonderful cook she loved hosting gatherings, baking wonderful cakes for family and friends or working in her gardens.

After Marv’s passing when Bob and Jim moved back to Romeo to take up the torch for the next generation of family living in the home, her presence at Holiday and Sunday dinners was always a highlight and will be a bit quieter without her lively conversation, sharp memory for people and places and cheerful disposition. She adored her son Bob and was the ideal grandmother to Marissa and Andrew, never hesitating to stop a stranger to tell them about the family she loved so much. Patriotic, faithful, and strong-minded; she cared deeply about both her hometown and her country and was never afraid to stand up for a cause she believed in.

She was preceded in death by her husband of 69 years Marvin in 2022; parents, Robert and Lenore Lyons; in-laws Marvin and Catherine Miller; siblings Jim (Sarah), Barb Ganfield, Sally (Al) Franklin, Robert Jr (Rosemary) and brother-in-law Bob Miller.

She is survived by her son Robert Miller (James Bramble); grandchildren: Marissa Willits Miller (Matthew MacMullin) and Andrew Miller (Taylor Hegler); great grandchildren: Colin, Georgia, Lillian, Evelyn and baby Marvin; sister in law Ruth Miller and her very very special baby sister and brother-in-law, “Susie” and John Cassidy along with a host of nephews and nieces.

With her loss, we lose a piece of the past we could almost touch with every sweet note sung, a gentle word passed, and a story unfolded by her. The family is extremely thankful to the administration and staff (who got folded in like family) of The Orchards for the friendships and devotion they have shared with her for the past 5+ years and to Accent Care Hospice for the attentive care and assistance in her final days.

A memorial gathering and service will be provided at the Henry M. Malburg Funeral Home on Friday, October 02, 2026 beginning at 10:00 a.m. followed by a small family gathering at Pamela’s Catering in Romeo. Burial will follow at the Romeo Village Cemetery at the family’s convenience. Please no flowers but donations in lieu per Marv & Bette’s request to the either the Michigan Humane Society or Accent Care Hospice.