Lillian Lavon Gatten

Lillian Lavon Gatten, 85, of Tuscarawas, formerly of Sugarcreek, Ohio, passed away peacefully on Monday, January 12, 2026, surrounded by the love she spent a lifetime giving to others.

Anyone who spent time with her was met with kind eyes, warmth, curiosity, and presence. To know her was to feel welcome. As a child, you felt safe, held, and cherished. Lillian was love embodied. Shy and soft-spoken, her strong sense of empathy gave her the courage to speak out against cruelty and injustice.

Though her physical body is no longer with us, her spirit lives on in the way we care for one another and in the lessons she left behind: that strength can be gentle, that love is an act of courage, and that keeping our hearts open, even in a world that often asks us to close them, is the strongest thing we can do.

We will miss her more than words can hold, and we will love her beyond the confines of time. The beauty of a soul like Lillian’s is that it cannot help but live on, as it changed and touched everything around it.

Lillian spent almost her entire working life at Middaugh Printers in Sugarcreek, where she was a steady and dependable press operator. Some customers ask for her by name because of the quality of her work.

Born on August 19, 1940, Lillian was the daughter of the late Barney and Helen Miller of Sugarcreek. She is survived by her children, Mark Norman (Sharon), Tom Norman, and Debbie Lower (Don); her grandchildren, Brittany Straley, Angie Beaudoin, Alyssa Lower, and Dustin Lower; her great-grandchildren, Rhyan, Bo, and Hannah Straley. She also leaves behind her sister, Mary Troyer (Ron), brother, Bob Miller (Dorothy), and nieces and nephews, David Gold, Amy Kellog, Chad Miller, Shawn Bellville, and Kerri Miller. Lillian was preceded in death by her husband, Robert Gatten; her brother, Gary Miller; her sister, Marlene Miller; and her grandson, Jeremy Lower.

In accordance with Lillian’s wishes, there will be no public services or calling hours. Donations can be directed to Community Hospice Truman House. She asked that her life be remembered and celebrated by her family in small, intimate gatherings. Cremation has been entrusted to Toland-Herzig Funeral Home & Crematory in Dover, and her ashes will eventually be laid to rest beside her beloved and much-missed husband, Robert.