Miller, Deborah Hammond
Debbie (Deborah) Hammond Miller, 72, passed away in her Blacksburg home on the 3rd of October 2022. She is survived by her husband and business partner of 51 years, Steven James Miller; her sister-in-law and brother-in-law Susan and James Landmann and her nephews Scott and Ryan Landmann and their wives Debra and Erin.
Although she never had children of her own, Debbie helped many a “Misher” figure out how to be a strong and uncompromising personality and through her relationships with these friends and employees, Debbie became the best Grandmother a little girl named Kaitlyn will ever have the honor of remembering.
A fixture in the Blacksburg community since getting her Bachelors degree from Virginia Tech in the year of 1973, she stayed in the area as one of the founding partners of MishMish, Inc. and spent the next 49 years supporting and celebrating the arts as an active member of many organizations. She was the first treasurer of Downtown Merchants of Blacksburg which later became Downtown Blacksburg Inc, was one of the first directors of DBI, and worked tirelessly in the T-shirt booth at Steppin’ Out from setup time in the morning to sweeping the streets at the end of the day.
Although she grew up in northern Virginia, Debbie fell in love with Virginia Tech and was never happier than when she was cheering on her Hokies in many sports from football to the women’s basketball teams. She liked a good fight and always wanted to make sure people knew they should be fighting for what they were trying to accomplish. Those who knew her well cannot count the number of times she was heard to supportively tell someone to “Give ‘em Hell”.
She was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer and given an original prognosis of 3 to 5 years but immediately decided to fight her newest enemy in a war she was determined to win. It was with pride that she passed the 10 year mark in 2020, and with determination and a healthy measure of obstinance she continued her battle until the end.
A heartfelt thank you to the doctors, nurses and staff at Blue Ridge Cancer Care who loved her as much as she loved them. In the last few years she always seemed to find herself seated next to the new patient in the treatment room because the nurses knew she would help and encourage them in their own battle.
Her determination and refusal to miss out on life was something those who held her dear will always admire and remember.
A celebration of her life will be taking place at Blacksburg Christian Fellowship 2300 North Main Street on Saturday October 29th from 1 to 5pm. In lieu of flowers please consider a memorial contribution to St. Judes’s or a charity of your choice. If you are able to join us on October 29th, please consider bringing along any favorite photos or anecdotes of Debbie to share with the family during this celebration of her life.