Tonya Miller

Tonya Marie Miller did everything her own way, loudly and without apology, and she left us far too soon on November 3, 2026, at 54.

Tonya was raised in the small town of Seneca, Missouri. One of her favorite places there was the city pool, where she spent every day during the summers. She spent her 20s and 30s in Las Vegas and Chicago, where she worked hard and played harder. As a restaurant server she was a natural. She never met a stranger and loved to talk, which is exactly why she was so good at it. Her hard work got her recognized and promoted in two of the biggest cities in the country. One of her most special memories from those years was when an older gentleman, a stranger to her, told her to never lose her “moxie.” She never forgot it, and she never lost it. In her 30s she went to cosmetology school, then spent her years doing hair and serving at restaurants.

She considered herself a bit of a hippie and loved a good party. Under all that personality was a good, soft heart, especially for anyone who was suffering or being left out. She was preceded in death by her parents, Debbie Hunt and Bill Miller and by her grandparents, Charles and Daphine Hunt, who raised her. She never married and had no children. She leaves behind a sister, several cousins, and all the friends who became her family. Tonya will be cremated, and a celebration of her life will be held at a later date.