ST PAUL, Minn. — The life of a woman once married to a Minnesota Twins legend will be celebrated later this week after she passed away following a reported battle with cancer.
Tonya Puckett-Miller will be remembered during a celebration of life on Thursday, Sept. 21 at Progressive Baptist Church in St. Paul. Visitation begins at 11 a.m. with a service set for noon. Miller's husband, Dr. Rev. Melvin Miller, is the church's pastor.
Rev. Miller told the Star Tribune that his wife died last Friday of glioblastoma, which is an aggressive form of brain cancer. She was just 58 years old.
Puckett-Miller was the former spouse of Minnesota Twins star Kirby Puckett, who died in May of 2006 after suffering a massive stroke. The two married in 1986, one year before the ballclub won its first World Series title, and divorced in 2002. They had two children, Catherine and Kirby Jr.
The Minnesota Twins sent out a statement Tuesday.
"We send our condolences, sympathies and best wishes to Catherine, Kirby Jr., and the Puckett and Miller families during this difficult time," said Twins Business Communications Director Matt Hodson in a released statement.
Besides Catherine and Kirby Jr., Tonya Puckett-Miller is survived by her husband Melvin Miller, stepchildren Martin Miller, Mariah Miller, Mikal Miller and Morgan Carrillo; her grandchildren Brendan Draper, Nairobi Nelson, Bailey O'Brien, Savannah Puckett and Kirby Puckett III; and her mother-in-law and father-in-law, Eunice and Earl Miller.
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