Miriam "Martha" (Morrow) Koerner

Miriam “Martha” (Morrow) Koerner of Barnett, Missouri, passed away peacefully at California Care Center, on Tuesday, April 25, 2023.

Miriam was born on April 20, 1935, in Hamilton, Alabama, to Julius and Elizabeth (Glenn) Morrow.  She was the 7th of 9 siblings.  As a young child, the family moved to Curtis, Mississippi, where she worked with her parents and siblings on the family cotton farm.  Miriam attended school in Batesville, MS.  After graduation she continued her education by attending clerical school in Memphis, TN.  For entertainment, Miriam and her friends enjoyed social events and dances at the local USO.  One fateful evening, a young sailor walked through the door, and the rest is history.  Miriam and Cletus (Clarence) Koerner were married on June 4, 1955.  To this union three children were born:  Rick (Joyce) of Olean, Gary (Paula) of Barnett, and Karen (Tom) Coats of Mountain Grove.  The couple raised their family on a dairy farm in Barnett.

Miriam was a hard working woman and devoted wife.  She started her days early alongside her husband in the milk barn before going back into the house to prepare their morning bowls of Cheerios and a mid morning “coffee time” snack.

Miriam loved working in her garden, pruning her rose bushes, and making beautiful floral arrangements.

Along with her children, Miriam is survived by one sister Helen Grace White of Senatobia, MS, and nine Grandchildren, Jamie (Clinton) Hall, Lindsay (Craig) Nelson, Jodi (Jason) Drake, Megan (Patrick) Lawrence, Adam (Ashley) Coats, Whitney (Louis) Davis, Emily (Drew) Scheiderer, Drew (Erin) Koerner, and Morgan (Wade) Wood.  She also boasted about her Great Grandchildren: Nora and Carly Hall, Otto, Theo, and Finn Nelson, Lincoln, Uriah, Barrett, and Mathias Drake, Payton, Cayden, and Carsyn Lawrence, Dax, Hux, and Elm Coats, Maya and Evie Davis, Owen, Olivia, and Baby Scheiderer.  As busy as she was on the farm, her grandchildren will remember her as being a very attentive Grandmother always taking time to teach them to a household skill, fix their hair, or play a rousing game of Dominos or Scrabble. 

Miriam and Cletus were faithful members of High Point Baptist Church, where she stayed involved.  She was also a member of the Prairie Grove Women’s Club.

Along with her spouse and parents, Miriam was preceded in death by 7 siblings:  LJ Morrow, Junior Morrow, Annie Stratton, Eunice Legge, Vera Shields, Mary Burns, and Jannette Rowsey. 

Visitation will be Monday, May 8, 2023 from 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM at High Point Baptist Church with the Funeral Service beginning at 12:00 PM with Pastor Heber Mena officiating.  Burial will follow at Hopewell Cemetery in Barnett, MO.  Memorials in her name are suggested to Alzheimer’s Research or High Point Baptist Church.

Arrangements are under the direction and care of Phillips Funeral Home of Eldon, MO. 

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