Vicki Miller Spitzer

Vicki Miller Spitzer, beloved wife, mother, aunt, sister, friend, compassionate nurse and advocate for those in need, passed away on October 8, 2024, after a long struggle with complications from a surgical procedure performed in 2020. Vicki Spitzer was born on January 9, 1949, in Paragould, Arkansas to Henry Miller, Jr. and Betty Smith. She is survived by her husband of 38 years, Kurt A. Spitzer, her son Kurt B. Spitzer, II (Brittany), siblings Mike Miller (Faye) and Jody Miller (Sharon) of Tallahassee, and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents and younger sister, Cheryl Garcia. Vicki’s family moved to Tallahassee from Altamonte Springs in 1964. She graduated from Leon High School in 1967 and remained in close contact with many friends and classmates from that time of her life. Vicki supported herself when pursuing her nursing degrees at Tallahassee Community College and Florida State University. After service in the US Army and receiving her Bachelor of Science in Nursing, she was a Public Health Nurse in Leon and the surrounding counties until accepting a position at Southwestern State Hospital in Thomasville, Georgia, as Director of Nursing for the child and adolescent unit. In 1982 she began pursuing her Master of Science in Nursing at Georgia State University, with an emphasis in Psychiatric Nursing. She graduated in 1984 and returned to Tallahassee where she received her Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner (ARNP) license. She was the co-founder of the Psychiatric Emergency Response Program at Tallahassee Memorial (Hospital) Healthcare and an Adjunct and Assistant Professor of Nursing at Florida State University and Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University. Vicki later founded and was owner of The Janus Clinic, a multidisciplinary mental health clinic located in Tallahassee, employing a variety of professionals (including MDs, PhDs, and LCSWs) that provided a full range of mental health services to both adolescents and adults. The Clinic was the first of its kind to be headed by an ARNP. She later owned Vicki Spitzer and Associates and worked at the FSU Health Center and for Centurion of Florida, which provided mental health services for those in Florida’s prison system. She founded the Council of Advanced Practice Nurses in Tallahassee and was an active member of the Florida Nurses Association. Vicki grew up in the Episcopal Church and later moved to St. Peters Anglican Cathedral. To her, the primary appeal of nursing was service to the “least of the least,” whether they were financially poor or not. She was a person who would move heaven and earth to help family, friends or patients in need. Vicki frequently bent or broke “the rules” to benefit her patients, and “saved” numerous people over the course of her life. She viewed her professional career as a calling of service to the Lord. Those who knew her revered her and will never forget her kindness and generosity to others. Vicki dearly loved spending time at Saint Teresa Beach (especially sunsets!) and celebrating countless Thanksgivings, Easters and Christmases with family and friends. While it was difficult to watch her suffer for more than four years, all of us can take solace in the fact that she was ready to pass, was not afraid of death, and has been welcomed into the heavenly arms of our Lord. A funeral service will be held at St. Peters Anglican Cathedral (4784 Thomasville Road, Tallahassee) on Monday, October 14th at 11:30 AM. The burial will take place at a later date. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Grace Mission Episcopal Church, 303 West Brevard Street, Tallahassee, Florida 32301; phone 850-224-3817. Rocky Bevis and Kelly Barber of Bevis Funeral Home (850-385-2193 or www.bevisfh.com) are assisting the Spitzer family with their arrangements.

Tributes

Vicki Miller Spitzer

January 9, 1949 - October 8, 2024