Valerie Lynne Weaver Millard passed away peacefully in her sleep on Wednesday, January 28, 2026, after a valiantly fought two-decade-long battle with cancer. She was born on December 19, 1952, to Leona Connor Weaver Fuqua and William “Bill” Weaver, with her parents divorcing when she was very young.

She met her future husband, Mike, when she was actually set up on a blind double date with his twin brother, Dave. It was love at first sight, and they spent the remainder of their lives inseparable.  Val was also beloved by Mike’s parents, Ed and Ida, and they viewed her as the daughter they never had, while she viewed them as the parents she always wanted.  She graduated from Perry Hall High School in 1970 and went on to study elementary education at then Towson State University. She realized quickly that teaching wasn’t for her and became the best wife and, eventually, a stay-at-home mom to her two girls, Amy and Ali. She was an exceptional mom, always leading with love. She was fun and fair, taught the girls how to cook and to bake, had backyard campouts, and even whelped two litters of puppies. Despite not officially working, she was always busy and excelled at everything she did, from cooking to cross-stitch to hosting cookouts and crab feasts. Val was always the life of the party….people naturally gravitated toward her, and she made life-long friends everywhere she went, from elementary school to Mike’s business trips in Europe. When the girls were in high school she went back to school to pursue her passion, interior design. She had an incredible eye for space and design, and she loved helping friends, coworkers, and her own family decorate their homes.

She had her first bout with breast cancer in the early 80s and survived bilateral lumpectomies and radiation without her girls even being aware she was undergoing treatment. She watched Amy and Ali grow up, graduate from high school, college, and law school. She was a gorgeous mother of the bride and wedding planner for each of them. She was the best mother-in-law anyone could want for their husbands. In 2007, she started her favorite job, being the BEST GRANDMA EVER, when her grandsons, Declan and Griffin, were born. Her first granddaughter, Emmeline, came in 2009, and her second, Brenna, in 2012, and her life was complete.

Unfortunately, cancer had been found again in 2006, and she spent the last 20 years of her life undergoing countless surgeries, chemotherapies and immunotherapies, endless doctor’s visits and hospitalizations to fight three different types of metastatic cancer, which she handled with a grace and strength that is almost inconceivable. Despite her suffering, she continued to make fast friends with her chemo-mates, oncology staff, doctors, and nurses. She still cooked dinner for Mike nearly every night, baked treats for everyone, and made oyster shell bowls and ornaments. She kept up with her old friends and never missed a birthday or important milestone. And she was ever present in the lives of her grandchildren: she taught them card games, played giant jenga, made chocolate chip cookies, did arts & crafts, went to all of their performances for chorus, dance, aerial, and scouts, went to the pool, the beach, and Universal with them, attended the boys’ high school graduations, and wrote rhyming riddles every Christmas for the kids to find their big present at the end (carrying on Ida’s beloved tradition). Through it all, Mike was forever by her side, holding her hand, supporting her, and driving her crazy until the very end. She leaves behind an unbelievable legacy of unconditional love.

When her earthly body failed her, Val took a little stuffed lamb with her into the light for Jago, her favorite rescue pup, because she couldn’t wait to see him again…along with all of her people that had preceded her…her mother and father, her in-laws Ed and Ida Millard, her sister Yvonne Urbanek, her cousins Marilyn Corbett and June Millard, her other dogs, Maggie, Bailey, and Sassy, and many other grandparents, cousins, aunts, uncles, and dear friends.

She is survived by the love of her life, and devoted husband, Michael Millard; her daughters Amy Radley (husband John Skowronski) and Ali Ballard (husband Mark); her grandchildren Declan and Emmeline Radley, Griffin and Brenna Ballard, and Kameron, Kyle, and Dillon Skowronski; her rescue pup, Pippa; her brother, Michael Fuqua, her brother-in-law, David Millard (wife Sally); her special nephews and nieces, Paul Millard (wife Amanda), Morgan Fuqua, and Drew Urbanek (wife Ashley); and many other family and friends who loved and supported her. She will live on forever in the hearts of every soul who had the absolute privilege to know and be loved by her.

In lieu of flowers, Val asked that you send a donation in her honor to either St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital or Tunnels to Towers Foundation, her two favorite charities that she contributed to monthly.