JALIYAH MARIE MILLER

JALIYAH MILLER, 28, of Sherwood, life was shortened by the hand of violence on May 8, 2026. She was the youngest of four. Jaliyah loved to be around her family and friends. She leaves to cherish her love: father, Alvertis Gilliam; (Preceded in death by mother, Ladella Martin); children, Deuntae Tucker (10), Addison Tucker (9), siblings, Lashanda Tucker, James Miller, Jamie Miller, and a great host of relatives and friends. She will be greatly missed. The family is asking for assistance with funeral expenses by sending donations to the funeral home's website: www.kellysmithfunerals.com (at the homepage scroll down to "Payment Center" and follow the prompts).
Kelly Smith Funeral & Cremation Services will be serving the Gilliam/Martin/Tucker/Miller families. Funeral service is scheduled for Saturday May 30th. For more information, sign online guest register, plant a "Living Memorial Tree," send DONATIONS/cards/condolences/flowers and to light an "In Loving Memory Of" candle: www.kellysmithfunerals.com. 501-612-5607.on Friday May 15, 2026. 

They say the baby of the family is spoiled. And if that's true, then Jaliyah Butta Miller was the most gloriously, unashamedly, perfectly spoiled person who ever lived. 

She knew what she wanted. She wanted love. She wanted attention. She wanted you to stop what you were doing, look at her, and let her pull you into whatever world she was living in at that moment. And the thing about Butta — the thing that made her impossible to resist — was that she always succeeded. Every single time. 

As her big sister, I can tell you from a lifetime of experience — Jaliyah had her ways. If she felt like she wasn't getting enough of my time, enough of my attention, she would let me know. She wouldn't be quiet about it. She'd act out, act up, and pout until I gave in. And I always did. We all did. Because how could you not? When she turned those eyes on you and flashed that smile, resistance was not just futile — it was impossible. 

That smile. Lord, that smile. If you knew Jaliyah, you know exactly what I'm talking about. And that laugh — that goofy, ridiculous, contagious laugh that would come out of nowhere and pull you right along with it whether you wanted to laugh or not. Those are the things we are going to carry. That smile and that laugh are going to live in us for the rest of our lives. 

Jaliyah was beautiful — not just on the outside, though she was absolutely that — but in a way that radiated from somewhere deep inside her. She had what I can only describe as a magnetic spirit. You were drawn to her. You couldn't explain it exactly, you just found yourself moving in her direction. She had the ability — and I mean this literally — to draw you in and get you to do whatever she wanted. It was a gift. It was her superpower. 

And she used it on the dance floor. Oh, she used it there. Jaliyah could dance. Not "pretty good for a regular person" dance — she could move in a way that made you stop what you were doing and just watch. She commanded the floor. She commanded the room. She would start moving and somehow the energy in the entire space would shift and center on her. That was Butta. That was always Butta. 

And when she wasn't dancing, she was singing. We called her little Beyoncé — and she wore that nickname like a crown, because of course she did. She was the baby. She deserved a crown. She believed that with her whole chest and honestly? She wasn't wrong. 

But for all her talent, for all her beauty and her magnetism and her dancing and her singing, Jaliyah herself would tell you that the greatest things she ever did were bringing Deuntae and Addison into this world. Those babies are her legacy. They are walking, breathing proof that Jaliyah Butta Miller was here — that she loved, that she created, that she gave something extraordinary to this world. When you look at Deuntae and Addison, you are looking at the best of her. And we are going to love them and protect them and make sure they know exactly who their mother was. 

I need to pause for a moment, because there is someone else who needed to be here today. Our brother, James. James couldn't be here physically — but he asked me to make sure that his words reached his sister. So Butta, this is from your big brother. He wants you to know — I can't send you off physically, but your big brother loves you forever and always, my Butta Bean. 

James — she heard you. I promise she heard you. 

Jaliyah had her flaws. We all do. She was stubborn. She was demanding. She expected the world to bend toward her, and when it didn't, she made her feelings known. But those flaws were wrapped up in the same spirit that made her so easy to love. The stubbornness came from passion. The demands came from a deep need to be close to the people she loved. She didn't just want things — she wanted connection. She wanted her people. She wanted us. 

And we are here today to give her that. In 28 years, Jaliyah was loved. She was surrounded by family and friends who bent to her will. She brought two beautiful children into the world and blessed me with them. She danced and she sang and she laughed that ridiculous laugh and she lit up every room she ever walked into. 

She didn't deserve to leave us this way. I'm not going to pretend otherwise, because everyone in this room knows it, and the pain of that truth is real. It is heavy and it is unfair and it is something we are going to wrestle with for a long time. But I also believe — and Jaliyah believed — that God holds what we cannot. And I believe that wherever she is now, she is still dancing. She is still singing. She is still working that smile on everyone around her, still demanding attention, still being exactly and completely herself. 

Because that's the thing about a light that bright. It doesn't just disappear. It stays with you. It lives in the people who loved her. It lives in Deuntae and Addison. It lives in every single person in this room whose day was made better by knowing her. 

So Butta — my baby sister, my Beyoncé, my goofy, beautiful, spoiled little girl — I need you to know that I see you. I have always seen you. And just like you always wanted — you have my full attention, forever and always. 

We love you, Jaliyah. Rest easy, baby. 

POEM: Don’t Cry For Me

Don’t cry for me,
I will be okay.
Heaven is my home now,
and this is where I’ll stay.
Don’t cry for me,
I’m where I belong.
I want you to be happy
and try to stay strong.
Don’t cry for me,
it was just my time.
But I will see you someday
on the other side.
Don’t cry for me,
I am not alone.
The angels are with me
to welcome me home.
Don’t cry for me,
for I have no fear.
All my pain is gone,
and Jesus took my tears.
Don’t cry for me,
this is not the end.
I’ll be waiting here for you
when we meet again.

Family Acknowledgement
The family would like to thank each and every one of you for your love, prayers, calls, cards, flowers, and support. We praise God for you and thank you for your continued prayers for our
family. May God bless each of you.

Scripture: Those Who Died in Christ
1 Thessalonians 4:13–18 (AMP)

For more information, plant a "Living Memorial" Tree, sign online guest register, send flowers/cards/condolences/gifts/photos and light an "In Loving Memory Of" tree: www.kellysmithfunerals.com.  * 501-612-5607.

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