Ruth Agnes Reid was born to Albert Agustus Reid and Mary Dorthea Kocherhans. She was one of ten children, five girls and five boys. She grew up in a home surrounded by lots of family and cousins.
Agnes, as she was called, had a fun sense of humor, she loved to have fun. As a teenager, she worked in the Blue Pine Hotel. One day as she was hosing off the porch, someone told her that she shouldn’t be using all that water and as he started towards her she laughed and sprayed him with the water.
Agnes was dating Rudolph Church when she started dating James Lazell Miller. They were married on March 1, 1916 in the Salt Lake City temple.
James Lazell Miller and Ruth Agnes Reid Miller
Five children were born to the Miller family; Reid J. on December 1, 1916, Dorothy on April 9, 1918, Veda on January 20, 1921, Daniel L. on February 29, 1923 and James Nyal on February 10, 1926.
Ruth Agnes & baby Dorothy
The family home was always open to friends and many parties held. In the summers there was always a houseful of cousins from California and Idaho. Because Jim was often gone to the sheep herd, Agnes would pack a picnic and take the children to the mountains to have lunch with him.
Ruth with Veda (middle) and friend and Dan?
Agnes was a very hard worker and took pride in her work and taught her children the same. They learned at a young age how to keep house and cook. One time when Agnes was very ill, they hired a girl to help out in the home. It was soon discovered that this girl knew little about how to keep house and cook. Agnes would have her bring the bread to her bed to mix it. After that experience she was determined her girls would know how to mix bread and do other housekeeping chores. She was an excellent seamstress and could get a dress out of minimal scraps. She had to manage on her own and many times do a man’s work. They had large gardens and she had to do all the irrigating and harvesting of the gardens. She bottled the harvest and dried corn and apples.
Agnes was very frugal and didn’t like to waste anything. One day she was baking bread and left Veda to take the bread out of the oven while she rushed to help someone. As Veda, who was a very young girl still, struggled to lift the bread out of the oven, she dropped it and ruined the batch. That was the only time she remembers her mother getting cross with her.
Agnes was active in church and held callings in Primary and Relief Society. She served in the Presidency of the Relief Society and was very charitable. Agnes was good to her extended family. She walked every day to her mother’s home to visit. She was very good to her mother. She was first to attend the sick and grieving and to help when anyone had deaths in their families.
Agnes, Veda, and Dorothy
When they built their beautiful new home, Agnes worked hard and saved to make her new home lovely. It was well kept and cared for. After all her efforts, she only lived in it nine short years before her death.
Agnes was 40 when she was expecting her sixth child. During her pregnancy, she had her teeth pulled and dentures made. She also sprained her ankle one day while making soap and carrying a large tub. On November 9, 1935, Agnes died during childbirth. The baby was stillborn and was buried beside her. Her funeral was one of the largest ever held in Panguitch. She was loved by many and the floral gifts were abundant. From the tributes given her, it was clear that Ruth Agnes was a very special person. The Miller family was terribly saddened by her death and Jim never wavered in his devotion to her.
