Debra Deniece Hale
November 25, 1954 - January 2, 2022

Debra Deniece (Nana) Albright Hale, November 25^th, 1954 – January, 2^nd, 2022.

On January 2^ndof 2022, God called home one of his best creations Debra Deniece (Nana) Albright Hale, 67. She is survived and will be extremely missed by her husband, Bill Hale, her children Chris Hale and wife Augusta, Jennifer Hoang and husband Khanh, grandchildren Savannah Francis and husband Derrick, Prinston Hoang, Trinity Hoang, Ryland Hale, and Emerleigh Hale. As we learn to live without our Nana, we know she is adding ribbons and bows to the gates of heaven. She’s hugging Jesus alongside her parents Jamie and Gladys Springer, and her sisters Vickie Lawrence and Royetta Albright, and her little dog, Roo, and without a doubt saving a place in her arms for when we all see her again. Until then, we will still see her in every beautiful sunset, hear her in every kind word, and feel her in every hug we give.

If you shouted out Debbie’s name in a room full of people, she would look around and wonder who you were talking to. She was Nana to everyone who knew her. It didn’t matter if you were family, friends, or friends of friends, she was still Nana. It was her way of letting you know that you were loved and that someone was in your corner no matter what. In her eyes, there wasn’t a soul that existed that was unworthy of a Nana’s love and compassion.

Nana was born in Kansas City, Missouri. She grew up in Kansas, where she met her husband, Bill (Papa, as we like to call him), when she was twelve years old. Bill and Nana started dating in their teens, got married in 1973, and turned houses into homes starting in Kansas, to Oregon, Alabama, and then to Florida, and a few places in between. In 2014, they moved to Gulf Shores, Alabama. Nana loved to be by the water in every form, from the swimming pool to the ocean. She liked riding her scooter out to the fishing pier to play with her Pelican friend and watch the waves roll in. She always said she felt closer to God there. In 2020, Nana and her husband moved to Hudson, Florida to be closer to family and the sea at the same time. No matter where she was, Nana’s house was always a place of security and belonging, whether you just needed to lay on the couch and escape for a while or dig through the kitchen for a snack, where she always said, “eat anything that doesn’t eat you first”.

Our Nana loved creating the most beautiful things, from clothing with wild patterns for her grandchildren to crocheted blankets for a friend’s new baby. No holiday was safe from the glitter and bows she enjoyed so much. Christmas trees across the country are touched with the ornaments that she created every year. Front doors are brighter with wreathes she made for every holiday. Because of her natural kindness, she always gifted her crafts without reserve to anyone she felt needed a little bit of joy.

She was so proud of her children and grandchildren. In her eyes, we could do no wrong even when we knew we did. If you asked her about herself, she would whip out the pictures and tell you all about her children and grandchildren instead. She was so proud of everything we did and always made sure we knew she was our biggest cheerleader. She believed in us even when we didn’t believe in ourselves. She would secretly tell each of us in turn that we were her favorite. We all knew, but we were just happy to be loved so fiercely by someone like her.

Nana taught us all a lot about how to be strong and love each other. She would say that if your spouse was driving you nuts, love them deeper. If your kids were being naughty, hug them tighter. If you have to eat an elephant, you do it one bite at a time. No matter what she was going through herself, she was always there to lend an ear, let you cry, and then tell you to put your big girl pants on and do what you need to do. She lived her life with unimaginable fortitude and grace.

We will celebrate the life of Nana with a graveside memorial service at 11:00am February 4^th, 2022 at Trinity Memorial Gardens 12609 Memorial Dr. Trinity, FL 34655. The Family would like to welcome everyone who loved her to come and tell stories and celebrate a life that touched so many. A reception will follow at her daughter, Jennifer’s house.