Debra Marie Grant

Debra Marie Grant, who traveled the world in search of adventure, lovingly sewed magnificent quilts for dozens of friends and family, added treasures to her beloved collection, faithfully served and shared her faith in Jesus Christ, and passionately fought the good fight, died Monday, August 10, at the age of 50. Born to William and Marie Burgess, Debbie grew up in Southern Indiana and also grew to love many things. She cherished family, friends, and her faith most of all. A graduate of Brownstown Central High School and Indiana University, she majored in respiratory therapy and worked for a decade at Riley Hospital for Children for the purpose of helping people who struggled with the same chronic illness that she worked so tirelessly to defeat in her own life. An active participant and fundraiser for cystic fibrosis, she bested all the odds, having been told that she would not live past 20. But the stubborn fighter in her was all the more determined to Bowl for Breath, make Great Strides in annual walking events, and Cycle for Life on her beloved tandem bicycle with her husband Jeff -- raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for a cure. Married in July of 1991, the happy couple enjoyed over 29 years of wedded bliss, visiting 45 states, 17 countries, and 5 continents in every form of transportation from cruise ships, canoes, and kayaks to helicopters, dog sleds and hot air balloons. Their favorite mode of transportation, however, was the two-wheeled variety. Purchased as a wedding gift to each other, the couple logged thousands of miles on their tandem bike, once riding more than 250 miles across the state of Indiana and back to their home in Carmel. When not pedaling a bike, they were riding in cars to check off a game in each of the 30 Major League Baseball stadiums and more than a dozen minor league parks as well as stopping at many antiques stores to add to their unique Coca Cola collection during their free time each summer. Summers were a special time for both of them to experience the world together, because they were very busy during the remainder of the year sharing a love of children and teaching in the Carmel Clay Schools system. Though they could not have any of their own, it was a labor of love to work with thousands of children for 10 months of each year. Specifically, Debbie worked as a special education instructional assistant for 15 years. But that just made the summers all the more important to pack in as much adventure as the two could schedule. Special, one-of-a-kind trips were intricately planned down to every detail for each summer. She and Jeff toured the Vatican to admire Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel, walked the famed steps of the Roman Coliseum, drove a frisky dog sled team on a glacier in Alaska, crab-walked fifty feet into a crypt in one of ancient Egypt’s pyramids, cracked lobster in Maine, rode an elephant on safari of elusive white rhinos, were moved in Nelson Mandela’s prison cell in South Africa, ate street-fare gyros while climbing to the top of the Acropolis in Greece, snorkeled the crystal blue waters of Hawaii, walked the steps of Jesus in Bethlehem and Jerusalem, wondered at the preservation of Ephesus in Turkey, marveled at the 1996 Olympic games, marched up Mayan temples, swam with sharks in the Galapagos Islands, stood breathless in front of the ruins of Machu Picchu, burned in the Bahamas, biked down volcanic Haleakala, imagined the once-thriving metropolis of Pompeii, waved from the Statue of Liberty’s crown, cried in the Garden of Gethsemane, and sampled cultural dishes from alpaca and alligator to a native curry dish made by loving hands in a family home in Cape Town. When she wasn’t trotting the globe to see what God and creative men made, Debbie thoroughly enjoyed her church family. As part of a core of eight founders of Harvest Community Christian Church, Debbie loved to also take mission trips to hurting and hopeless areas each summer, providing labor and love to Haiti, Mexico, Costa Rica, and more than a dozen other places in impoverished America that needed a helping hand and a heaping dose of God’s love in action. There she served as a roofing specialist on Habitat builds, planned lessons and crafts for Vacation Bible School programs, played her beloved flute to worship her Lord, and laughed with new and old friends alike. Some of her longest-lasting friends came as a member of 4-H. As a youth Debbie thrived at county fairs and in work sessions where she learned many valuable lessons. But the most lasting lessons were taught by her mother, specifically passing on a love of quilting. For decades, Debbie traveled to quilt shows, to state guild get-togethers, and busily sewed at home to make wedding, baby, and veteran quilts for many family and friends. The warmth and love poured into those gifts will be cherished for years to come. Though she could barely walk, her singular goal this summer was to take a Quilt of Valor to a family friend in Phoenix to honor him for his military service. Her legacy is best preserved by the love she shared everywhere she went. While she will be dearly missed, Debbie waits in Heaven with a hug for those still to arrive as she relishes her time with many who went before. She is preceded in death by her mother. Survivors include her husband Jeff; father and stepmother Bill and Sherry Burgess; brothers David (Melanie), Wes (Vanessa), and Todd (Tammy); father and mother-in-law Walt and Cheryl Grant; and many cherished nieces, nephews, cousins, and godchildren. Debbie’s visitation will be from 2:00 pm to 6:00 pm on Sunday, August 16, 2020  at Flanner Buchanan - Carmel. A funeral service will take place at 10:00 am on Monday, August 17, 2020 at the funeral home. A short graveside ceremony will follow the funeral at Carmel Cemetery, not more than a good Debbie golf tee shot from the Monon Trail that she and her husband loved. In lieu of flowers, donations would be cherished by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation that still fights the good fight, now without one of its best generals. *Masks will be required for visitation and service* Please click here to join Debbie's virtual service.