RICHMOND, Va. (CBSDC/AP) — Gov. Bob McDonnell has set aside a day to memorialize Sen. Yvonne Miller, who died last week.

McDonnell is recognizing Tuesday as “Yvonne B. Miller Day” in the state. Miller was the first black woman elected to the Virginia House and Senate, the first to chair a Senate committee and the longest-serving woman in the history of the Virginia Senate.

McDonnell’s Chief of Staff Martin Kent will present the certificate of recognition to Miller’s family Tuesday, along with a flag that was flown over the state Capitol.

The certificate calls Miller a “history-maker and a trail blazer who cared deeply about people and served as a strong voice and passionate advocate for the disadvantaged, the forgotten and the overlooked.”

Miller died in her Norfolk home on Tuesday, July 3. She was 77 years of age.

(TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)