Vanessa McMillan-Dukes, 34, passed on to our Lord and Savior on Wednesday, March 29, 2023. Vanessa was born on April 22, 1988, in Sherman, Texas to Larry McMillan and Donna Bully. She was the second oldest child in her household, with two siblings, Ashley and Cassandra McMillan.
The family joined Full Gospel Holy Temple of Sherman, Texas in 1995, wherein she attended throughout her childhood and served as a youth usher. She also enjoyed attending church with her grandmother, Otelia McMillan, at Latter Rain C.O.G.I.C. of Sherman, Texas. A few months before her passing, she attended Believers Church in Durant, Okla. Vanessa professed her life to Christ at the early age of eight years old. She loved learning more about the Bible and cherished praising the Lord.
Vanessa served the people around her. Her gifted hands brought beautiful hairstyles to many whether they could afford her services or not. Her kind heart for the elderly brought tender care to the vulnerable as she worked as a Certified Nursing Assistant. Her home served as a haven for family members and friends where peace and love could always be found. Vanessa loved to listen to gospel music, study her Bible, pray for and with others, spend time with family, to laugh, and would always wear a smile on her face. She was a loving and caring person, a devoted mother, daughter, sister, and friend, always thinking of others first. “To know her was to love her.”
Vanessa’s loving memory is cherished by her parents, Larry McMillan and Donna Bully; her children, Marquis Tillis, Janessa Tillis, and Micheal Tillis; siblings, Ashley McMillan, Cassandra McMillan, Troy Lucero, Cierra McMillan, and Zacary Prosser; niece and nephew, Nesiah Lewis, and Broderick Lewis; grandmother, Otelia McMillan, and a host of uncles, aunts, cousins, and friends.
Family night will be held from 6-8 p.m. at Brown’s Funeral Services located at 4900 W. Highway 70 in Durant, Okla. on Friday, April 7, 2023.
Vanessa’s “Celebration of Life” Funeral Service will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 8, 2023, at Believers Church located at 303 N. 49th St. in Durant, Okla., with Senior Pastor, Dr. Michael J. Bradley, officiating. Following the funeral, the burial service will be held at Mead Cemetery in Mead, Okla.
Arrangements under the direction of Brown’s Funeral Home.