Stephanie Gay Miller

Stephanie Gay Miller, age 80, of Decatur, Georgia, passed away on September 15, 2026.

Stephanie was born on December 25, 1945, in Brooklyn, New York, to Martin and Frances Miller. She attended Beaver College, now known as Arcadia University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in graphic design with a specialization in printmaking.

Following college, Stephanie joined an early cohort of the Peace Corps and spent two years serving in Bolivia from 1966 to 1968. Her desire to help others continued throughout her life. After college and the Peace Corps, Stephanie came to the south from New York as a part of the voter registration drives of the late 60s and fell in love with Atlanta. After attending the New York Chiropractic College, she moved here permanently.

From 1975 until 2005, she worked as a chiropractor in Atlanta's Little Five Points and Candler Park neighborhoods, where she became a beloved and vibrant member of the community. She only retired in 2005 to pursue her passion for art.

Art was one of Stephanie's greatest passions and her most natural form of communication. A gifted painter and printmaker, she often used humor and social commentary in her work. She also created beautifully detailed pet portraits that captured the unique spirit of each animal. Stephanie believed art could inspire happiness, connection, and a deeper understanding of the world. Her favorite work was painting dog portraits and many homes in the metro area have their special pet immortalized by Stephanie.

Stephanie's creativity extended to music. After retiring, she began playing the bagpipes and developed a particular fondness for early music. She could occasionally be found playing in Freedom Park, sometimes wearing striped pants or a delightfully silly plaid hat that reflected her playful and distinctive personality.

The Candler Park community was her home for 47 years. She was a fixture there always seen walking two or three rescued greyhounds from Oakdale Rd down McClendon Drive. Steph served on the board of the Sevananda Health Food Co-op, championed conservation causes in the neighborhood, and her yard art caused many cars, bikers, and walkers to slow down or stop and take in her latest configuration of statuary, signs, and other creations that gave her great joy.

A dedicated animal-rights advocate, Stephanie became vegan in 1975 and held the first and only personalized Georgia license plate reading "VEGAN." She was especially passionate about greyhound rescue and devoted much of her life to loving and caring for rescued greyhounds.

Stephanie also found great joy in gardening. She cultivated her yard not only for its beauty, but also to support the local ecosystem. Her garden became a welcoming haven for butterflies, bees, and other buzzing creatures.

Unique, humorous, outgoing, caring, and deeply communicative, Stephanie approached life with creativity, compassion, and an enduring desire to make the world a better place. She treasured her neighborhood, her artwork, her animals, and the people she loved. She shared 26 years with her wife, Beth Williams, including 11 years of marriage.

She was predeceased by her mother, Francis K. Miller, and her father, Martin Miller. She is survived by her wife Beth Williams, her brother, Loring Miller and his family, her nephew Justin Miller, and his family, and her two beautiful, devoted greyhounds, Baba and Juju.

Stephanie will be remembered for her colorful spirit, generous heart, joyful humor, and unwavering commitment to art, animals, community, and service.