Debra Clements Brill, 71, passed away peacefully at her home in Jamaica, Va. on Sunday, Aug. 27, 2023 after a three-year battle with cancer. She was surrounded by her mother, her daughter, and her husband of 51 years.
Debra is survived by her mother, Edna Clements Evans; husband, George I. Brill III; children, Christa Brill Dingman (Ryan) and George I. Brill IV (Miranda); grandchildren, Reese and Avery Dingman and George I. Brill V; siblings, Donald J. Clements Jr. (Audrey), John Clements (Leslie) and Jenifer Clements (Tony).
She was preceded in death by her father, Donald J. Clements.
Debra was born on April 16, 1952 in Newport News to Donald and Edna Clements. She graduated from Shenandoah Valley Academy in 1970, where she met George, her husband-to-be. Debra and George were married Nov. 28, 1971 and lived in New York City while George was stationed there with the U.S. Coast Guard. They returned to Virginia to attend Rappahannock Community College and later graduated from James Madison University in 1977.
Debra and George welcomed children Christa and Ivan in Richmond in the following years. During this time they purchased their family home on the Rappahannock River, where they would later retire. Debra was a full-time homemaker until she began work for the Potomac Conference of Seventh-day Adventists in 1986. The family moved to Waynesboro in 1991 to be closer to Debra’s office.
In 1992, the family moved again, to Newbury Park, Calif., when Debra began work with the Pacific Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. She served there until 1999, when she and George moved to Laurel, Md. and she accepted the position of vice president for ministries at the North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists. There she was an effective and beloved administrator until her retirement in 2019.
The past few years have seen Debra and George enjoying retirement at the river, watching birds and sunsets, delighting in visits from grandchildren, and intentionally savoring every moment together.
The family is hosting a visitation at Nelsen Funeral Home in Richmond on Saturday, Sept. 2, from 2-5 p.m. A memorial service will be conducted in the coming weeks in Collegedale, Tenn.
Before her passing, Debra made it abundantly clear that in lieu of flowers she would like donations to be made to the Kirsten Wolcott Memorial Fund. Please visit tjasda.org for a link to donate.
