About debra

BT

When I think of Deb, I think of a storyteller.

I think of how she had endless tales to tell or gossip to spill, whether I saw her just last week or last month.

It was the way she told stories that had me and so many others enthralled. She was always laughing through her words. Her excitement was contagious.

Half the time, I didn’t even know who she was talking about when she was spilling the tea about what so-and-so did or who she ran into last weekend. But I didn’t care. She had me hooked.
Our close-knit group of seven friends could spend an entire dinner with mostly her talking and all of us just listening and laughing.

When I think of Deb, I think of a kindred spirit.

The kind of person that wouldn’t stop and stare if I was the only one dancing in a room, but rather the one that would come up right beside me and join in.

It was Deb who helped me discover my own love for dancing.
Winter Ball of freshman year, I was in the thick of my awkward stage and it was my first school dance. All I can remember is, at some point, winding up in the center of a circle of students, having a dance off with Deb to “Hot and Cold” by Katy Perry.

I had never had so much fun embarrassing myself than in that moment.

When everyone else was too afraid to let go and to soak up the spotlight, she was in her element and feeling free. And it made me feel free.

Without having had any classes with Deb freshman year, she consistently was one of the most outgoing people I had ever met and the kind of person I could tell was friends with everyone, regardless of what group they normally hung around.

Everyone knew who she was for being incredibly funny, having a lot of energy, and being the one who would always be there to tease you... with love. To remind you not to take anything too seriously. To show you, you can always make your own fun.

When I think of Deb, I think of a star.
She consistently stole the show when it came to the morning news at CHS.
Committed to the cause, she sacrificed getting covered in butter by jumping out of a trash during one of our many opening music videos. For dramatic effect, of course.

She helped choreograph and write the lyrics to our hit “Cornine’s Party,” while giving me the courage I needed to belt it out in our dusty little recording studio.

And she was always a passionate reporter covering the latest sports news in TV/Radio class.

Even if you had your own project to complete that involved making a video or having a photoshoot, Deb was your gal. She knew how to make things fun with her creative spirit, and the laughter she brought out in everyone was endless.

When I think of Deb, I think of a teammate.

Partnering up to take on Alyssa’s grandfather in the most intense game of Beer Pong I’ve ever been involved in.

We were each other’s cheerleaders.
We had a secret handshake.
We lost.

And during Color Wars, you were golden if you had Deb on your team. Her enthusiasm for the pie eating contest was a sight to see.

When I think of Deb, I think of Winnie the Pooh.

I walked into U.S History class on a morning that was not going so well and I already couldn’t wait to go home.

But Deb greeted with me a smile at 7:30 am by bursting out in song.
“Bethany Todd, Bethany Todd
Funny little Toddie all musical
She’s Bethany Todd, Bethany Todd
Willy, nilly, silly, ol’ Todd.”

From that day forward, every time she saw me in school, she sang my new theme song. Even took the time to write the lyrics down on a note for me, which I have hanging up in my room.
She was so good at making others feel special and creating a moment of sunshine on a not so sunny day.

She also gave me my favorite nickname that day,Toddie, which I’ve used ever since.

When I think of Deb, I think of a sunset.

Takings walks down by the beach after a full meal, and hours of good conversation and laughter.

I always looked forward to those nights. Deb was usually the one to text us all and get us together for a spontaneous night of gossip over margaritas or Blue Moons, pizza or Mexican.

We’d listen to Deb tell stories until the sun set.

These days, when I find a quiet moment, I picture her in front of a sunset.

And these days, when I catch a sunset, I picture her there with me.

CORY

Deb was one of my best friends at Clemson and is one of my favorite people in the world. Her positive attitude and open heart made her such a joy to be around and an effortless friend. Like many of Deb's friends, my favorite connection with Deb was dance! However, unlike most of her friends, I have absolutely no background in dance. Deb said I should come to one of her classes through Clemson Dance and, what started out as a one-time-thing, quickly turned into the reoccurring highlight of my week! It was such a memorable experience getting to know a completely different and equally amazing side of Deb as the teacher, mentor, and incredible artist she was! It was also a pleasure to see that Deb was loved by her Clemson Dance family just as much as she was loved by all of her Clemson families. I remember one time she told me that her dream was to own a dance studio where she could teach young kids and give back to the sport that changed her life for the best. Wherever you open this studio Deb, sign me up! From dancing in the pouring rain at Kesha's concert and closing down the town at Wingin' It to honoring you and everything you did for Clemson Dance at the end-of-year recital; Deb, you have changed my life for the best through your gift. Your impact is great and everlasting and you have touched so many people in so many wonderful ways. I'm so fortunate to have known such an incredible human being and I carry your spirit and charisma in everything I do. Deb - love you forever and always!

A

Communications High School is a very small school, we graduated with only 71 kids in our grade and yet Debra claims she had no idea who I was until junior year. Even if that were true (it’s totally not), I always knew who SHE was. The girl with the curly hair and infectious energy who danced and was everybody’s friend.

We became close friends junior year when we had every single class together. It was a fast friendship, one where we quickly became comfortable joking and making fun of each other for silly things. We had the most ridiculous little inside jokes that still manage to make me laugh.

One of the classes we had together was Spanish, and for some reason our teacher had decorated the room with different pictures of frogs. We looked up the Spanish word for “frog” and found it was “rana”. From that day on we called each other “mi rana” and would do our best to take pictures together looking like frogs, and somehow we found this absolutely hilarious.

In that same Spanish class we also had the option to pick a Spanish name to be referred to for the semester.

I chose “Esmeralda” from The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

Deb chose “Margarita”.
She’s still my idol for that.

When I think of Deb I think of big smiles and laughter. That girl was always smiling, always making us laugh. She had this god-given talent of turning a bad day around.

Every time I see a frog key chain or stuffed animal or actual real-life frog I know Deb sent it my way. Every time a Britney song comes on the radio out of nowhere I know she’s here. Every time I do something stupid or stumble upon a happy accident or drink a margarita, I know she’s right there laughing along with me.

Without even realizing she was doing it, Debra taught us all to see the good in everything. To laugh it off when something doesn’t go your way. To find happiness in the small victories and quiet moments. She taught us to look for silver linings.

And she taught us there’s nothing that can’t be fixed with wine and pizza.

She was someone whose laugh was contagious and who made you happier just by being around her.

Someone who you could dance with and not care who was watching.
She was one of the best friends and greatest humans I’ve ever known.
She was the best of us.

Always was, and always will be, the best of us.

N

Deb embodied this rare and awesome dichotomy of being both compassionate and sarcastic. She'd be the first to make sure you felt welcomed and included, and would also be the first to make fun of you when you did something dumb. Her genuine and outgoing personality made everyone feel comfortable around her, while her funny, sarcastic comments made you feel like you've been friends forever, even if you had just met.

She was always open-minded when it came to new people, and was constantly making new friends. Whether it was the classmate who sat next to her, a random person in the elevator, or even just someone who happened to be walking the same way as her – there's no doubt Deb would start up a conversation. I'm convinced she could talk to absolutely anyone about absolutely anything.

The first time my boyfriend came to visit the house where Deb, Lindsey, and I lived, he arrived in Clemson while I was still in class. I told him he could just hang out at our house until I got back. When I walked into the house an hour later, he and Deb (who had never met each other) were blasting music and making dinner as if they had been friends for years.

I created some of my favorite memories while living in that house with Deb and Lindsey. When we first moved in, we kept jumping around and freaking out about how much we loved the house as if we were 6 years old. At one point, we were all sitting on our porch (which didn't have any actual furniture - just a bunch of crap we didn't feel like unpacking yet). We were listening to music that we considered to be "porch music" and the next thing I knew, we were coming up with a dance (correction: Deb was coming up with a dance, then teaching it to Lindsey and me, who cannot dance to save our lives). Lindsey and I were so terrible at the basic dance moves that she taught us (which I soon learned are the same ones she taught to her 5-year-old dance students), we all couldn't stop laughing. That was truly one of the happiest days I’ve ever had.

Deb had such a positive attitude and was always up for anything. I often asked her if she'd come with me to play trivia or go dance at a bar down the street after she had already gotten in bed for the night. Each time, she contemplated her options for a couple minutes then said something along the lines of "You know what, sure" - and off we went. Deb lived an extremely busy life between her super difficult math courses and the countless dance classes she attended (sometimes teaching, sometimes participating), so the fact that she was always up for a spontaneous adventure was nothing short of insane.

Not only was she a fun friend, but she was also a dependable one. I once laid on her bed with her for hours freaking out about some personal problem that she shouldn't have had to hear about. While most people probably would have just said something like, "It'll be fine, stop stressing" and continued on with their lives, Deb talked through everything with me and helped me figure out what I should do about it. A friend like that is hard to come by. Somehow Deb was able to be a dependable and supportive friend to every person who considered her a friend, and as I mentioned before, that number was constantly growing.

The only thing Deb valued more than her friends was her family. She called her mom more than anyone I know, and had an infinite number of funny stories from growing up. You could tell how close she was with her family through any story she told.

I'm grateful to know that Deb will continue to be a part of my life, wherever it may go. Among many other things, she's inspired me to be more open-minded about people and to dance even if I look ridiculous. I miss her more than I knew possible, and will love her always.