Mrs. Tanya Monique Mikell

Celebrating the Life of

Tanya Monique Dyson Mikell

On a radiant summer day, July 30, 1970, Jimmy Dyson III and Eula Bell Hines Dyson were blessed with the birth of their youngest daughter of four, Tanya Monique Dyson. As the baby, her mother and sisters doted over her and taught her lessons of hard work and discipline that would characterize her life. She was taught to cook and to surround herself with beauty.

A product of Dougherty County Schools, Tanya attended Flintside Elementary as well as ML King and Southside Junior High schools. She played the clarinet in the Westover High School Marching Band and was a proud graduate of the Monroe High School Class of 1988.

Surrounded by extended family, her Aunt Mary nurtured her as a toddler and throughout her life. She spent summers as a teenager at Shirley’s. Her cousins Jermaine and Darryl thought of her as their sister.

After high school, she began her studies in Nursing at Albany State College before moving to Atlanta to start her career as a paralegal and a TruGreen sales representative. For more than 20 years, she was a top regional salesperson for the Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina region, for which she won numerous prizes, awards, and many commendations.

Tanya was raised in the Third Kiokee Missionary Baptist Church and later joined the St. John Baptist Church of Savannah, GA under the leadership of Dr. George P. Lee, III.

One day, she met the love of her life. And on August 6, 2016, she married Carlos Mikell. The couple enjoyed travel, fine dining, and good times. They laughed,they sang, they danced while they cooked in their kitchen from night to night.They parasailed as a couple in Puerto Rico. They vacationed for years in Panama City, FL and Myrtle Beach, SC with the Harpers. Through it all, Carlos remained faithful to his vow, “for better or worse, in sickness and in health.” He was her devoted companion and loving husband. In marriage, she gained two sons Jerrod Mikell and Carlos Talbert, granddaughter Genesis, and goddaughter Carley—the love of their life. Carley was with them every day and in everything.She loved her “Papa” and her “Tee Tee.”

Like her mother and sisters Tanya maintained a showcase home. She loved shopping for the latest bling, high fashion clothes and hair styles. Shopping was her love language to her sisters, her nieces and nephews, her husband, and all her family and friends. And she doted over her family.

Hers was a close circle of friends. And she was a confidant for a multitude of people, trying to help and encourage others, giving the best advice she could offer.

When illness struck Tanya, she fought for her life. She went to Emory and the Mayo Clinic. She tried traditional medicine, stem-cell treatments, hyperbaric treatments, and physical therapy. Through it all, she realized the blessings of the Lord and how God used medical doctors and treatments to prolong her life. After stiff fighting and multiple hospital visits, Tanya fell asleep in the Lord on September 3, 2025. She was preceded in death by her parents Jimmie and Eula Dyson.

She leaves to mourn her beloved husband Carlos Mikell, sons Jerrod Mikell(Meisha and granddaughter Genesis) and Carlos Talbert; sisters Jacquelyn McKinney (Dexter), Cassandra Starks (Donie), Lawanda Williams (Andre);father in-law: Theodore Miller (Bernice deceased); brothers in-law: Keith (Diane), Robert Mikell (Tammy); sisters in law: Tulane Thompson(Marlin), Karen Proctor, Saranota Proctor(Tommy); nephews and nieces:DanYale Starks (Amber), Sherrod Dyson, Shamonika Troutman, Chiquita Starks,Shambrica Huff (Hilton), Ashley Williams; aunts: Annie Mae Green, Mary Angry,Jeanette Lavant, Rosa Clark, and Doretha Taylor; uncles Benjamin Dyson(Betty), Alvin Dyson (Henri-Jo), Abbie Harris (Play), and a host of special friendsand cousins especially Shirley Smith.

She was dearly beloved. Already, she is sorely missed.