Miriam Ruth Mohr

Miriam Ruth (Kolm) Mohr, born January 9, 1936 in Clay Center, Kansas, was the youngest of three children born to Reverend Henry A. Kolm and Martha (Langholz) Kolm. Miriam and her brothers were each born during the middle of a snowstorm. Miriam recalled her mother telling her about the harrowing drive to the hospital on the day she was born while the storm raged around the Model T Ford driven by her father, which got stuck in the snow several times during the journey. Shortly after arriving at the hospital, Miriam was born. Miriam’s early years were spent in Palmer, Kansas. In 1942, her family left Kansas when her father was asked to become the minister of Christ Lutheran Church in Stover, Missouri. Later, in 1950, Miriam’s father was asked to lead St. Paul Lutheran Church in Auburn, Nebraska and Miriam’s family moved again. She graduated from Auburn High School in 1953. She briefly attended nursing school at the University of Nebraska in Omaha, Nebraska. In 1955, Miriam began working at the Book of Books store in Omaha, a church supply store owned by the American Lutheran Church. While working at the Book of Books store, she met Stanley Mohr, the love of her life. Miriam and Stan were married on June 17, 1962 in Auburn, Nebraska. Miriam’s father, Reverend Henry Kolm, officiated. While living in Omaha, Miriam and Stan had two children: Bryan and Jannine. During that time, the Mohr family visited Colorado several times and fell in love with the beauty of the state. In July 1969, Stan and Miriam moved their young family to Colorado. Miriam dedicated her life to the service of the elderly. In 1971, Miriam, began working as the Dietary Supervisor at Sierra Vista Health Care Center in Loveland, Colorado. In December 1976, she became the Dietary Supervisor for the Loveland Good Samaritan Society, where she worked for thirty-four years. In 1998, Miriam was named Employee of the Year for the Good Samaritan Society, which had over twenty thousand employees nationwide at the time. She was recognized for this honor at the Good Samaritan Society’s annual convention in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. On May 10, 1997, the Mohr family expanded when Bryan married Shirley J. (Moore) Schuler in Belleville, Illinois. It grew again in October 2010, when Miriam accompanied her daughter, Jannine, on her adoption journey to China. On October 11, 2010, Miriam became the grandmother of Julia Ruth Song Mohr, a role that she greatly cherished. Miriam was a nature lover. When she was in elementary school, she participated in The Missouri Nature Knights Club, an afterschool program offered by the State of Missouri to promote conservation and introduce children to nature. The participants would go on nature hikes looking for plants and wildlife. This experience left a lasting impression on Miriam. Of it, she said, "[t]his was very exciting to me and thus began my love of nature which has continued through my whole life.” Miriam was a birdwatcher, loved to grow and care for her flowers, and would visit Colorado’s Rocky Mountains whenever she was able. She was an accomplished, amateur nature photographer; she won seventeen ribbons recognizing her artistry in photo competitions. In later years, she enjoyed annual trips to a cabin in Estes Park, Colorado where she could commune with nature, including watching her favorite bird, the hummingbird. Just as Miriam was born on a snowy day, she passed away peacefully of congestive heart failure on the afternoon of February 13, 2021 while the snow falling outside her window. She was surrounded by family. Miriam was preceded in death by her father, Reverend Henry A. Kolm, her mother, Martha (Langholz) Kolm, and her beloved brothers Paul Kolm and Roland Kolm. She is survived by her husband of fifty-eight years, Stanley Mohr; her children Bryan (Shirley) Mohr and Jannine Mohr; her granddaughter, Julia Mohr; sister-in-law Orline Kolm, sister-in-law Norma Mohr; and several nieces, nephews, and cousins. A memorial service and celebration of Miriam’s life will be held on July 10, 2021 at 10:00 a.m. at Zion Lutheran Church, 815 East 16th Street, Loveland, Colorado. Inurnment will follow at the Columbarium and Memorial Garden at Zion Lutheran Church