Obituary

Carolyn Miller Bush, 88, peacefully went home to be with her Heavenly Father on Thursday, February 6, 2025, surrounded by love and the peace of knowing her earthly journey had been fulfilled. Carolyn was preceded in death by her parents, Gaines Banks and Edna (Brown) Miller, her beloved husband of 34 years, Ernest “Pete” Franklin Bush Sr., and siblings Mary Stockwell and Nancy Bradbury. Carolyn is survived by her brother, Thomas Raymond Miller (Bonnie), of Chesterfield; her children, Renny Bush Humphrey, Pete Bush Jr. (Nancy), and Larry Bush (Shannon); grandchildren, Stephanie Krueger (Brian), Petie Bush III (Faith), Annie Humphrey, Faith Bush and Brandon McDonald (Megan); and great-grandchildren, Cody, Cooper and Caroline Krueger; along with many nieces & nephews and dear friends. Dixie “Carolyn” Miller Bush was born on a cold Thursday morning, January 28, 1937, in Pea Ridge, just outside the small coal-mining town of Oak Hill, West Virginia. At the age of 3, Carolyn moved to Stop 13 on the Pike, and then to Tucker Road in Chesterfield, Va. She spent her summers taking the train to visit Aunt Betty and Aunt Iona in Oak Hill. She recalled the summer of 1945, riding the train to West Virginia after World War II ended. Soldiers had free rides home to Lynchburg, Bedford, and beyond, and she often mentioned the celebrations when they returned. Carolyn graduated from Thomas Dale High School, Class of 1955, where she met the love of her life, Pete. They were the perfect couple, she was a cheerleader, and he was a football player. Carolyn and Pete moved to the “home place” on Beach Road in 1962 and began their lives there. Carolyn was a retired schoolteacher, serving generations at Salem Church Middle School. Carolyn was an active member of Second Branch Baptist Church for most of her life. She enjoyed feeding tacos to the homeless, filling shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child, and participating in various committees. In her later years, she enjoyed her new church family at Chesterfield Community Church in Matoaca, Va. Carolyn kept a beautiful home well into her later years by cutting the grass on Thursdays, collecting Blue Willow China from Japan, and tending to her annual garden in the summer. She loved her numerous kitties and a few dogs, especially her Hammer and border collies.

The family will receive friends from 11:00 am-1:00 pm with her funeral service to follow at 1:00 pm on Saturday, February 15 at Second Branch Baptist Church, 12217 Second Branch Rd, Chesterfield, VA, 23838. Interment to follow at Second Branch Church Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Chesterfield Community Church Building Fund https://www.ccc4jc.net/donate or Canine Companions https://canine.org/donate-now/.