Betty L. Miller Wheeler Coleman

Betty Leona Miller Coleman, age 93, of Joppatowne Maryland, went to be with the Lord on February 4, 2022.  Betty was born on November 3, 1928 to Walter Richard Miller and Rose Edith nee Wilhelm.  Betty lived in Bradshaw and Joppatowne Maryland from the mid-1960s until going to stay with her daughter and son-in law Lois and David Heller in Mt. Airy Maryland.  Betty graduated from Sparks High School and married her high school sweetheart, Roy Ernest Wheeler in 1945.  After Roy’s death, she married Francis Sylvester Coleman in 1960. 

Betty had many occupations over the years, including retail store clerk and key punch operator for the NAC credit card which eventually became part of the Visa network. Betty raised eight children and her most cherished occupation was mother and grandmother. Betty is remembered for always encouraging her children to read except after she put them to bed and turned out the lights. Betty loved her flower garden and was an avid crocheter – one Christmas presenting beautiful, crocheted shawls to her six daughters, her daughter in law and two granddaughters. Betty loved spending time with her grandchildren, taking all of them to the Junior Rangers program at Gun Powder State Park and assisting with home schooling Curtis and Dan. Well into her eighties, Betty taught adult Sunday School classes, visited members of the Towne Baptist congregation in nursing homes and provided transportation to doctors’ appointments. Into her 70’s, Betty was known for picking up a number of the other surviving classmates to attend high school reunions.

Betty is survived by her children, Susan Wheeler of Baltimore MD, Barbara (Milton) Schaum of Parkville MD, Steven (Judy) Wheeler of Forest Hill MD, Lois (David) Heller of Mt. Airy MD, Judy (Stephen) Niehaus of Forest Hill MD, Annette (Alan) Freid of Delton MI, and Bonnie (Timothy) Dufour of Aberdeen MD; eight grandchildren, Nancy (Johnny) Salmon of Dyersburg TN, Michael Niehaus of Forest Hill MD, Curtis (Felicia) Dufour of Evans GA, Daniel Dufour of Aberdeen MD, Kathryn Niehaus of Exton PA, Kaitlynn (Luke) Kahler of San Francisco CA, Jeff Niehaus of Forest Hill MD, James Freid of Nashville TN; five great grandchildren, Kristen (Ashley) Johnson, Keith (Kaitlyn) McCallister Jr and Halley McCallister all of Dyersburg TN and Kathryn and Theodore Dufour of Evans GA and six great great grandchildren, Chance, Paiton and Preston Johnson and Maci, Dean and Keslee McCallister all of Dyersburg TN.  Betty was preceded in death by her husbands, Roy Wheeler and Francis Coleman, her sister Marion Burghauser, her brothers Richard and Joseph Miller and her son R. Ernest Wheeler.