Who We Are:

Florence M. Muller

 

Florence Marie (Gottemeier) Muller (November 8, 1926 to July 25, 2016). The only child of Albert and Florence Gottemeier, Florence grew up on Austin Street in Rochester, NY. She attended Holy Apostles Church with her family and was educated by the Sisters of St. Joseph at Nazareth Academy. At first reluctant to go to school and known for fleeing the classroom and running home during first grade, Florence later reflected that “primary education is so important. You can go on to learn many things in college and graduate school, but you have to have a strong foundation.” She attributed what she was able to achieve in her life and who she had become with the early education she received from the sisters at Nazareth. She valued a well-rounded college education, too, believing that it was “the very best equipment…for a useful, successful, and happy future in today’s fast-moving world.” She demonstrated her value for education through her volunteer service and her charitable giving. 

 

Upon graduation from Nazareth Academy, Florence worked for several years as a bookkeeper at radio station WSAY AM 1370, before joining Emil Muller Enterprises. Florence and Emil Muller wed in 1966. They continued working together and made their home in the Honeoye Valley south of Honeoye Lake. Their home – named Wild Rose Ranch for the land’s abundant wild roses – grew to nearly 3,000 acres reaching two miles up the “mountains” on each side of the Honeoye Inlet. There they enjoyed everything their beloved ranch had to offer from horseback riding, hiking, and canoeing, to farming and hunting. 

 

After Emil’s death in 1989, Florence moved to Pittsford, donating their Honeoye home and the land surrounding it to Finger Lakes Community College to create The Muller Field Station to honor her husband’s memory. She sold and gifted the remaining acreage to The Nature Conservancy, permanently preserving the land for others to enjoy. 
 

Though preferring to remain out of the spotlight, she was recognized for her good works with awards including The Nature Conservancy’s Friend of the Land Award, The Center for Environmental Information’s Hugh E. Cumming Environmental Quality Award, the Council of Resource Development’s Benefactor Award, and an honorary doctorate of humane letters from Keuka College. 

 

Those that knew her best admired her sense of fairness, tireless work ethic, and commitment to getting things done right the first time; her focus on the future and vision for the possibilities it could bring; her love of education and belief in its ability to change a life course; and her dedication to her husband and their shared love of the outdoors. A savvy businesswoman, Florence lived modestly and invested strategically after her husband’s death, growing the Florence M. Muller Foundation and positioning it well to continue her good works.