The world was blessed with Deborah Grilley Hill on September 26, 1948. She was born in New London, Ohio to George and Jeanne Grilley as the fifth of seven children. Deborah lived through the cold war, saw the age where they put a man on the moon, and witnessed society advance beyond Jim Crow laws. She was vocal about watching society advanced beyond having colored drinking fountains, racially segregated bathrooms and restaurants where only white people could eat. She witnessed the revolutions in women’s rights that saw women legally own credit and property and she witnessed revolutions in the rights of LGBT people with marriage equality. Deborah attended New London High School before studying psychology at Highland Community College in Freeport, Illinois. Deborah married Bill Signer with whom she had two children – Jodie Signer (1969 – 1979) and Martin Signer. She married her second husband, Lawrence Miller, with whom she had three children – James Miller (1978 – 1980), Eric Miller and Elizabeth Miller.

She relocated to Columbia City, Indiana, where, despite the obstacles of being a single mother of three children, she managed to live her values. During this time, her father George passed on February 24, 1988. She worked hard as a mother and struggled to make ends meet many times. She endured cars constantly breaking down, electricity getting turned off and the humiliation of relying on food stamps. Deborah worked two to three jobs at a time, and always found a meal to feed a hungry person or space on her couch for someone in the middle of an emergency. She moved to Fort Wayne in 2001, and in 2002 her mother Jeanne passed.

Deborah, in 2011, became the legal guardian of her three grandchildren – Pyrce, Zaydin and Ayla. She dedicated her time to these children until September 2016 when she released guardianship due to a medical emergency. She relocated to Indianapolis where she lived with her son, Martin. Despite the best efforts from the medical team at Methodist Hospital, she passed on 3/29/2017. She is survived by her siblings: Regina, Alan, Susan, Jim, Neal and Carla. She is also survived by her children: Martin, Eric and Elizabeth. She is lastly survived by her six grandchildren. She left a lasting impact on many people, and was always warm to accepting other people regardless of any differences or barriers.