She went from a shirt factory, to working for Uncle Sam, and from homemaker, to the helm of a law firm.
Miriam Minter grew up on an Ellaville farm. Her brother, Kenneth Dupree of Smyrna, called Miriam “a well-disciplined person. On a farm, there’s a lot to do. We grew peanuts, cotton, corn, sugar cane and wheat. You had to grow everything you ate.” He remembered Miriam picking produce, cooking, and canning vegetables.
Miriam attended high school, and went on to what’s now Georgia Southwestern State University in Americus. She also worked at a shirt factory. A government recruiter eventually recruited her. Soon, she was working at the Pentagon.
“That was the era of manual typewriters and carbon paper,” recalled her daughter, Darlene Minter of Snellville. “She tried to do a good job, but with carbon paper, if you made a mistake – you had to start over. But she was conscientious, and a hard worker.” Said Kenneth Dupree, “She had to be strong to leave a little town, and go to Washington. It took a lot to do that.”
After World War II, Miriam left for Atlanta, and a civil service job at Fort McPherson. On a bus back to Ellaville, she met Fred Minter, a World War II vet travelling to see family in Thomaston. “He saw her, and thought she was beautiful,” said Darlene.
The two eventually wed. Fred finished law school, and went to work selling insurance. Miriam stayed home with a family that included Darlene and her brother, Charles. She worked briefly for the IRS. When Fred opened a law office, Miriam followed him there. “She was there for over 40 years,” said Darlene. “Most people thought she was an attorney.”
Miriam D. Minter of Decatur died May 4 of complications from pneumonia. She was 91.
Attorney Dennis Murphy met the Minters while employed by the property managers for their Decatur office He was also attending law school, and later went to work with the pair.
He called Miriam “invaluable to the law practice. She read the taxation and bankruptcy codes, and kept Fred up to speed. She was the bookkeeper, and pretty much, the collections department for the firm. She wore many hats. She was tireless.”
Murphy said Miriam and Fred got him well-versed in bankruptcy code, too. “She did a lot of hand-holding for me,” he recalled.
And, while Miriam could be “matter of fact,” he also called her “compassionate.” Darlene ( who worked with her parents from the early 1980’s until the firm closed in 2009) said her parents “Did a lot of work free for people. They were often struggling themselves, but they knew people needed help.”
“One thing I can say is that she was a wonderful Christian, and she loved people,” said Miriam’s sister, Adrianne Williams of Cumming. “She was always doing things for me when I was little. I would often visit Miriam and her husband for a week in the summer.”
“As we got older, it seemed that we became closer. We talked once or twice a week.”
Miriam was also a longtime member of Ousley United Methodist Church, and former member of the church’s ladies’ society. Lou Parker, the church’s manager of operations , remembered Miriam as a “very gentle, sweet lady. She almost always had a smile.”
Survivors also include a son, Charles Minter of Lawrenceville. A graveside service was held Tuesday at Resthaven Gardens of Memory. A.S. Turner and Sons Funeral Home, Decatur is in charge of arrangements.
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