Debra Elaine Winfrey

Debra Elaine Winfrey, 75, of Williamsburg, WV, passed away on September 1, 2026 at Peyton Hospice House in Lewisburg, WV. She is the daughter of the late Robert Lee and Delphia Mae Vance of Boone County WV.

Debbie lived her life with a personality every bit as big and bold as the love she had for her family. If you knew Debbie, you knew when she was in the room and chances are, you could hear her before you ever saw her. Debbie loved fiercely, worked hard and lived life with a whole lot of personality. Truthfully, she could outwork most men. She was an excellent gardener, hunter and organizer, and if something needed done, Debbie wasn’t going to stand around talking about it, she was probably already halfway finished .For all her strength, Debbie’s softest spot was always her family. Her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren were her world. She was happiest when everyone was together, at home, at the lake, fishing, camping or off on some family adventure. What they were doing really didn’t matter; Debbie just wanted her people close.

Even in her latter days, as her memory began to fail her, her love for her family never did. Seeing her family could still bring tears to her eyes and excitement to her face. When so many other things became harder to remember, her heart never forgot exactly who it loved. And then there was Buddy. Calling Buddy Debbie’s “dog” almost feels inadequate. Buddy was her baby, and she loved him like one of her children. He held a very special place in her heart and he knew it. Debbie loved cooking for her family, and anyone lucky enough to sit down to one of her meals knew she could cook. But her deer meat deserves a category all its own. Her family has the recipe. They watched her make it. They’ve tried to make it themselves. It still doesn’t taste like Debbie’s. At this point, the family suspects the secret ingredient may have been Debbie herself, or possibly that frying pan, which may need to be guarded closely from here on out. 

Debbie married Clyde Winfrey on May 28 and spent 32 years by his side, building a life and family together. As it happens, May 28 was also Clyde’s birthday. Clyde got a wife for his birthday that year and after 32 years together, it’s safe to say that was one birthday present that lasted. Debbie shared an especially close bond with her son, Tucker. The two were so much alike, they were practically mirror images of each other. Naturally, that meant they could butt heads, but it also made them best friends. When Tucker was asked what he loved most about his mom, his answer was simple: “Her love for me.” And maybe that says everything. Tucker never had to wonder how much his mom loved him. 

During Debbie’s time in the nursing home, her family made sure she was rarely without someone she loved. Clyde, Tucker and especially her sister Bessie spent countless hours by her side, and the nursing home staff said they had never seen anyone receive so much company. Bessie logged more hours beside her sister than anyone, while Clyde and Tucker remained constant throughout those final days. Tucker was able to be there through the very end, holding his mom, loving her and talking to her as she took her final breath and it seems only fitting. Debbie spent her life wanting her people close, and when she needed them most, they made sure she had exactly that. Debbie was the life of the party, with a loud laugh, a spunky personality and an ability to get genuinely excited over things everyone else might consider completely ordinary. There simply was no such thing as a boring moment when Debbie was involved.

Her family will miss her cooking and that deer meat nobody can duplicate. They’ll miss her opinions, her strength, her excitement, her work ethic and probably even those moments when she was being just a little too loud. They’ll miss Buddy having his person. They’ll miss looking around during family gatherings and seeing Debbie right in the middle of everything, exactly where she wanted to be. But more than anything, they will miss being loved by her. A woman who lived this loudly, worked this hard, laughed this big and loved this fiercely doesn’t simply disappear from a family. She leaves pieces of herself everywhere, in the stories they will tell, the meals they will try to recreate, the laughter that sounds a little like hers, the traits her descendants will carry, and every family gathering where someone will inevitably think, “Debbie would have loved this.” Because if her family was together, there was nowhere else Debbie would rather be.

She is survived by her husband of 32 years, Clyde M. Winfey, brothers James (Sonny) Vance, Joe Vance & Richard Vance, sisters Bessie Bittinger, Dorothy Lambert & Karen Bishop, her children, Freddie Joe Lambert (Laura), Tucker Lambert (Charity), her grandchildren; Kayla Worley (Eddie), Courtney Slavensky, Heather Cornette (Joseph), Gabby Lambert, Danielle Duncan, Preston Lambert, Tucker Lambert, Miley Lambert, and great grandchildren, Paisley, Ariea & Rip Worley, Aubrie & Laynie Cornette, Hadleigh & Raylee Slavensky, special nephew Larry Lambert, and a host of cousins, nieces and nephews. In addition to her parents, she is also preceded in death by her daughter-in-law Stephanie Stacy Lambert (Tucker), stepchildren Sherry Winfrey & John Winfrey, brothers Robert Vance & David Vance, sisters Robbie Oshinsky, Francis Bishop & Mary Kersey, nieces Trish Kersey & Marie Dolan. 

Special thanks to caretaker Natasha Pack and all of the amazing caretakers at the Genesis Healthcare Center in White Sulphur Springs and Peyton Hospice House of Lewisburg. 

Visitation for Debbie will be held on Friday, September 4, 2026 at Morgan Funeral Home, 252 Montvue Drive Lewisburg, WV, from 11:00 AM to 12:00PM, with the funeral service immediately following at 12:00 Noon. Burial will follow the service in the Windy Knoll Cemetery, Williamsburg, WV.

  Online guestbook can be signed at www.morganfh.net. Arrangements entrusted to Morgan Funeral Home, Lewisburg, WV.