Wanda Mae Miles

Wanda Mae (Runyon) Miles, 92, of Indianapolis, formerly DeKalb, Illinois, and Sturgis, Michigan, finished her earthly sojourn to enter eternity with her Lord, the Author and Perfector of her faith, on Wednesday afternoon, September 16th, at her home following a short illness. She was born to Alvin and Iva Mae Ealy Runyon near Yakima, Washington, on April 4, 1934. The family moved to a farm near Ludington, Michigan, when Wanda was approximately four years old. It was a challenging home environment for the children, who also included older sister, Wilma, and younger twin brothers, Ronald and Donald. Despite difficult family dynamics the siblings flourished as adults and would remain close their entire lives.

Wanda came to saving faith in Jesus Christ as a young person, having been invited to church by a friend. She would ultimately see all her siblings come to faith through her witness. She graduated from Ludington High School, hoping to become a missionary. She elected to pursue nursing, and in graduated from nurse’s training at Ravenswood Hospital in Chicago.

While attending Irving Park Baptist Church in Chicago, she was spotted in the balcony by a young seminarian, Ronald Miles, who took quick steps to get to know her. They were engaged, following a proposal from Ron in a car at the airport as he was finishing seminary. They married on October 26, 1957. Ron’s father, Gilbert Miles, himself a pastor, performed the ceremony.

Wanda and Ron began married life with five years in Detroit, where Ron began pastoral ministry at Bethany Baptist Church. For the era, Wanda took an unusual path for a pastor’s wife and pursued her career in nursing at Ford Hospital in Detroit. She stepped back from nursing with the birth of their first son, Philip (Phil), in 1960.

The family moved to Ron’s next church in Flint, Michigan, Shelton Heights Baptist, where they lived for ten years. Daughter, Rebecca, and another son, Daniel (Dan), were born in Flint. A fourth child, Timothy (Timmy), was born in 1970 with severe disabilities and passed away at eight months old.

Despite the deep sorrow of the loss of their son, the family thrived, with a move to Sturgis, Michigan, in 1972, where they raised their children through high school and served at First Baptist Church. Wanda returned to work, serving first at LaGrange County Hospital in northern Indiana, then at Coldwater Hospital in Sturgis. She later served as the administrator for a skilled nursing facility in LaGrange.

Family memories included treasured rituals of the ordinary…church on Sunday followed by a roast and potatoes at home, and then, inevitably, a nap. Wanda loved baking as much as her family loved desserts, which made for a delightful symbiosis. As Wanda’s family of origin had often missed or downplayed celebrations of Christmas and birthdays, she dedicated herself to generous and festive Christmas experiences for her family. Birthdays were always celebrated with the inevitable homemade chocolate cake, and this tradition continued all her life, with all her children and grandchildren (and later, great-grandchildren) gathering twice annually for these reunions. The family would take multi-week camping trips in summers, often with extended family, the stuff of many memories and notable stories.

Wanda loved nature and growing things…beautiful houseplants, flowers, large vegetable gardens. Especially in later years, in addition to the “power walks” Wanda would take in the neighborhood, she and Ron enjoyed bird-watching. Wanda remained a voracious reader her whole life, with stacks of books received as Christmas gifts often completed by January.

In the 1990s, their children raised, Wanda and Ron moved to DeKalb, Illinois, where Ron had a happy and successful role as Senior Pastor at First Baptist Church, and Wanda worked for Kishwaukee Medical Associates in Sycamore, Illinois, retiring in 1998. After Ron’s retirement, they would serve various churches with Ron as an interim pastor, and they often ministered to these churches as a couple, offering many of them healing in the midst of challenging transitions. Wanda and Ron also were able to travel, purchasing an RV to see America and then flying to Ireland.

In 2010, Wanda and Ron made the decision to move to Indianapolis, to be closer to Rebecca and her family, and immediately began to develop friendships and serve in ministry. Wanda, who never saw a baby she didn’t want to meet and hold, worked to check in children for church on Sunday. Seemingly without fail, she would get close enough to hug each and had a litany of winter head colds as a consequence. Those left her undeterred.

Wanda and Ron led community groups in the church, mentored newly-married couples, and were regular members of a prayer team for a seminary in Kyiv, Ukraine. Friends in their community group reflected on Wanda’s consistent commitment to those who serve in global missions, her own heart for seeing the gospel proclaimed to every nation, realized through prayer. They also noted that prayers were seldom for themselves, but for family, missionaries, or the state of the world. Wanda and Ron would be part of work teams to support the ministry to at-risk teenagers led by son Dan in Minnesota, and would consistently pray for these young people, most of whom they never met. Wanda kept a daily rhythm of Scripture reading and prayer.

Wanda was strongly-opinionated, sharp-minded, witty, and could utter succinct one-liners or “zingers” that provided a mix of surprise and laughter. Loyalty to her family, to whom she was intensely protective until the end, and a deep and abiding faithfulness to her Lord marked her life. Her children reflected on how consistently Wanda expressed her delight and pride in them and in her grandchildren, and how she made herself available to listen and offered understanding to them as they navigated their lives. Wanda has left a legacy of faith, hope, and love that carry on in those who followed her.

Wanda is survived by her husband of nearly 69 years, Ron, son Phil (Tonya) Miles of Leesburg, Florida, daughter Rebecca (Jerry) Risser, of Indianapolis, son Dan (Annie) Miles of Monticello, Minnesota, brother Ron (Esther) Runyon of Grand Blanc, Michigan, sister-in-law Karen Runyon of Montgomery, Illinois, ten grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents, sister, Wilma, brother, Don, and son, Timothy.

Funeral services will be held at Faith Church, 9125 North College Avenue, on Friday, September 25, 2026. Pastor Tom Macy will officiate. A viewing will be held prior, beginning at 9:30 AM. Interment will be later that day at Oaklawn Memorial Gardens in Indianapolis.

Memorial contributions may be made to American Baptist Churches Missions, Timber Bay Ministries, or General Missions at Faith Church, Indianapolis.

The family would like to express deep gratitude for the outpouring of sympathy and comfort provided, including meals and the gift of fellowship. Even in grief, they take great encouragement that Wanda is present with the Lord, in the hope of the resurrection of God’s beloved and the promise of a new creation.

Visitation will be held Friday September 25th from 9:30am to 11:00am at Faith Church, 9125 N College Ave. Indianapolis, IN. Funeral services will begin there at 11:00am.

1 Corinthians 13:12:

“For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.”

Job 19:25:

“For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth”