Debra Smith

Debra J. (“Dee”) Smith passed away peacefully on 13 November 2024 after an almost two year battle against colon cancer. She had recently relocated to Annapolis, Maryland to be near her daughter, but called Gulf Shores, Alabama her home. She lived her life fully and joyfully, regaling her friends and family with her wit and stories of adventures. She loved music (Jimi Hendrix, Tom Petty and Dave Grohl especially) and boxer dogs and hated cooking but definitely knew what foods she liked and what she didn’t. She enjoyed anything beach-related and was able to enjoy a tropical cruise with friends in her last year, even as she was undergoing chemotherapy. She adored her family and friends and spent her last days ensuring they knew how much she loved them. Dee was born in Paris, Texas on 14 September 1950 to Jean D. and Fred N. Millsap, Jr. She was raised in Roswell, New Mexico where she was an accomplished gymnast at Roswell High School and where she later returned to raise her children and teach sixth graders at Parkview Elementary. She later relocated to Dauphin Island, Alabama, and met and married Marc Smith in 1999. After being a dedicated teacher to middle schoolers in Bayou la Batre and Mobile, Alabama, she retired with Marc to Gulf Shores to their beloved condo on the intracoastal waterway, enjoying watching dolphins and herons and waving at the boats as they went by. There, they added to their many friends, who quickly became like family. Dee is survived by her son Brian (Carrie) Milstead of McKinney, Texas; daughter Melissa Milstead of Annapolis, Virginia; and her step-children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Marc preceded Dee in death just over a year prior due to the same awful disease. She was also preceded in death by her parents and by her grandparents Josephine and Fred N. Millsap, Sr and Lucille and Perry Prescott. She will be missed, but we know her memory will bring laughter and smiles to all who knew her. A celebration of life for Dee and Marc will be held at a later date in Gulf Shores, Alabama. In lieu of flowers, donations are appreciated for St. Jude, a cause that Dee and Marc championed, and to Hospice of the Chesapeake which cared lovingly for Dee.

Debra Smith

September 14, 1950 - November 13, 2024