Debra Bingham

Debra Gray Robertson Bingham, age 73, passed peacefully in her sleep at home in Lexington, TN, on the morning of October 13th, 2022. Debbie was born in Sardis, TN, on June 3rd, 1949. She was preceded in death by her parents E.G. "Bobby" Robertson and Roberta Phillips Robertson, a sister, Kay Rainey, a niece Daphne Simpson, and an infant son Jonathan Gray Bingham. She is survived by her husband of 56 years Johnny Bingham, a daughter Robyn Schlichter (Jeff), a sister, Edie (Barry) Stinnett, two brothers, Gene (Judy) Robertson and Phil (Anna) Robertson, as well as a host of beloved nieces, nephews, and cousins. She is also survived by her best friend, Pat Sego, and a big white rabbit named Cloud. Debbie grew up in Sardis and had many memories of picking cotton with her siblings and growing up in a close-knit family and small community. She was especially fond of her dear cousins Ted Phillips, the late Stephanie Phillips Ross, and Penny Martin Smith. Debbie was a Sardis High School graduate of 1967. She and her high school sweetheart, Johnny, married on January 29th, 1966, on a snowy day in the judge's living room! Debbie enjoyed working at H.I.S. Sportswear, Motor Parts and Bearing, Montgomery Head Start, and Easter Seals throughout the years before she became disabled and had to quit working in 1986. Debbie had braces on her legs as a child due to Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease. She endured many corrective surgeries and eventually lost her mobility going from braces to a cane to a walker to a wheelchair. In the 80s, she suffered another blow, kidney disease. After years of dialysis, she got a transplant in November 1987, and was blessed with almost 35 more years thanks to a donor. What a fun 34 years it was! Debbie was a mother to so many long before she was a mother herself. She helped raise many of her nieces and nephews, as well as her friends' children, and she loved them all as her own. Then, in 1992, after years of wishing for her own children but thinking it was medically impossible, she was blessed with surprise twins. Her health problems hid the symptoms. She thought her kidney was failing, but instead she was in labor. Jonathan did not survive, but Robyn is the pride of her parents' lives. Debbie was overjoyed to start her newest and most favorite job, being a stay-at-home mom. Debbie's hope as her health declined was to see Robyn grow up, and in 2019 she sat in the front row as Robyn married Jeff. Shortly after, her kidney function lessened, and she needed to begin dialysis again. She had many adversities in life but always kept a smile on her face and a positive attitude. She was a pillar of strength, grace, and dignity for her family and loved spending time with them as a big group most of all. She loved gardening, especially flowers, reading, cooking, and classic car shows. In her later years she loved watching Westerns and laughing at the antics of her white rabbit, Cloud. She was always laughing and joking and never failed to tell her loved ones how much they meant to her. Funeral services will be on Saturday, October 15, 2022 at 1PM at Reed’s Chapel with burial to follow in Marl Bluff Cemetery in Reagan. Visitation will be on Friday from 4PM-9PM and Saturday from 10AM until service. The family greatly appreciates her beloved Kidney doctor Dr. Lucius Wright and the wonderful staff at DCI dialysis clinic for helping her have a long, happy life right up until the morning she left her tired earthly body and was made new in Heaven. Her chains are gone.

Debra Bingham

June 3, 1949 - October 13, 2022