Bertha Milton

Bertha Marie Milton was born on June 11, 1911 in Mansfield Twp., Barnes County, North Dakota to William and Veronica (Stroh) Strang. Bertha was the oldest of 10 children and when she was 16 years old her family moved to a farm in Bradbury Township, Mille Lacs Co., Minnesota. She attended Onamia High School and was in the class of 1928. In 1931 she was married to Bruce E. Milton in the Holy Cross Catholic Church in Onamia. Bruce was the Chief of Police of Onamia and a Special Deputy Sheriff of Mille Lacs County from 1935 to 1942. He then traveled to Alaska to work on the World War II Alcan Highway Project with Bertha’s father William Strang and in 1944 was drafted into the Army Air Corps. In 1946 Bruce was elected Sheriff of Mille Lacs County and served in this capacity for 16 years. During this period of time, Bertha was a home maker raising their four children. When Bruce became Sheriff, Bertha often had to act as a dispatcher and a police matron to assist her husband with emergency response calls. This was at a time when the Mille Lacs County Sheriff’s Department consisted of the Sheriff and one deputy. In her early married years she had been a waitress at some of the early Onamia restaurants, including the Gem Café and Dan Augars. In 1960, Bertha opened the first Assisted Living Facility for the elderly in Onamia, known as the Milton Rest Home. She owned and managed the Rest Home until 1985 when she retired. Bertha will be remembered for her strong work ethic which she instilled in her children from her example. She will also be remembered for her stylish dress and accessories and her beautifully kept white hair. She moved into the Lake Song Assisted Living Facility in 2008 and was recently a resident of the Mille Lacs Health System in Onamia. She was a member of the American Legion Ladies Auxiliary, St. Ann’s Society of Holy Cross Church, and the Crosier Apostolate. She is survived by one daughter, Midge Trutnau of Champlin, two sons, Bruce (Mary) of Bloomington and Onamia, and Bill (Vicki) of Round Rock, Texas, and daughter-in-law Suzanne of Onamia; 12 grandchildren, 22 great-grandchildren, one brother Clifford Strang (Natalie) of Onamia and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband Bruce, son Larry, and son-in-law Tom Trutnau.

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Bertha Milton

June 11, 1911 - August 30, 2015