Two Local Women To Be Inducted To Indiana Bowling Hall Of Fame
Posted
Alaister McFarren-
On June 22, longtime Kosciusko bowlers Marsha Miller and Donna Dennie will be inducted into the Indiana Bowling Hall of Fame by the Indiana State US Bowling Congress.
Longtime friends due to their shared passion, the two women carry remarkably similar backgrounds, a fierce love for the game and a desire to teach others about the sport.
Unlike many other bowling aficionados, neither woman began bowling in earnest until after their twentieth birthdays.
“One Thanksgiving, my cousin and I were bored,” said Miller. “She took me to Wawasee Bowl and I haven’t stopped since.”
Miller was soon bowling five nights a week with her late husband, Dave. Despite her impending Hall of Fame status, Miller said Dave was an even better bowler than her.
Nothing can keep Miller away from bowling; she bowled left-handed for five years when dealing with bursitis in her right hand.
Dennie, too, was brought to the sport by a family member.
“My mom’s team was short a bowler, so she had me fill in for one of their games when I was 20,” said Dennie. “I was hooked, and I’ve been bowling ever since.”
For Miller and Dennie, the joy of bowling extends far beyond the simple act of playing the game; it includes teaching others about the game they love. The two have been teaching youth of all ages bowling, typically at The Bowling Alley on Detroit Street, ever since they had children of their own.
“The little kids are my favorite to teach,” said Miller. “It’s hard to get them to concentrate, but they’re so much fun to coach. I actually taught the parents of some of the kids I’m teaching now.” She estimates that she has taught 15 to 24 kids each summer for the past 35 years.
Miller has also brought her love of bowling to those in assisted living at Miller’s Merry Manor, where she works. She brings over portable bowling lanes from Eisenhower Elementary and has the youth she teaches bowl with the seniors living there, who she says “get a hoot” out of it.
Other than coaching, the two have spent many years serving in bowling-related leadership positions. Miller and Dennie have both served on the Indiana State USBC and are currently president and vice president, respectively, of the Warsaw chapter. Although they share very similar backgrounds, both have very different personalities; they hold each other in high regard, though, and believe their differences are what make them work so well together.
“Marsha is a fantastic teacher. She’s as devoted to bowling as I’ve ever seen anyone devoted to anything,” said Dennie.
“Donna is very organized. She always knows what needs to get done, she knows all the rules, and she’ll tell me if I’m not doing something right,” recalled Miller with a chuckle. “But never in a bad way; she’s always been willing to help me with anything at a moment’s notice.”
As for favorite memories, Miller and Dennie think similarly, considering the many bowling Nationals they have competed in and the bowling friends they have made to be the high points of their bowling careers.
“Getting inducted into something like the Hall of Fame with so many women I’ve respected and admired and made friends with is surreal,” stated Dennie.
Miller echoed her sentiments, stating that it was “something special that she never expected but was incredibly honored by.”
Although the Hall of Fame is the end-goal for many athletes, Miller and Dennie have no intentions of curtailing their bowling activities; Miller says she fully intends to bowl past her one-hundredth birthday.
