Debra Elaine Bowles

1957 - 2024

Debra Elaine Bowles

October 9, 1957 - May 10, 2024

Debra Elaine Bowles, 66, died at her home in Morganton, NC, on Friday, May 10, 2024.

Debbie was extraordinary: wise, creative, passionate, quirky, fun, and deeply, fiercely caring. She possessed almost supernatural intuition, empathy, and insight, but at the cost of never feeling quite at home in this world. Though she inspired and even transformed countless lives by her selfless acts of kindness and courageous vulnerability, she knew to do so because of her own persistent, lifelong suffering. Our only solace now is in that suffering's end.

Debbie is preceded in death by her mother, Nelda Gaines Bowles; and by her son, Eli Brent Hodges, who died on July 29, 1991; we imagine her scooping up baby Eli in arms that have ached for him some 32 years, and being held, in turn, by her own mother, whole and joyful and finally, blissfully, at peace.

Debbie leaves behind her other three children: Olivia, Elaina, and Ian, who were, without question, her life's work and her greatest loves; their father, Debbie's former partner of 34 years, Brent Hodges; her children's respective partners: Matt Bauer, Mark Winkelstein, and Ryan Loeffler Hodges; her three grandchildren: Leah and Levi Hodges, and Anderson Eli Bauer; her two fiercely loyal and loving siblings: Terri Bowles and Todd Bowles; Todd's partner, Aaron Haraldson; and her bereft father, Carl Bowles, whose legacy she bore; all of whom she loved, always, "with both my hearts."

Debbie never wanted a funeral, but she was wrong about some things, especially when it came to estimating others' love for her, and the significance of her life. As such, a celebration of Debbie's life will be held in her hometown of Morganton, NC, on Friday, May 17, 2024 at 3 p.m., with a reception to follow; details at www.blileys.com/obituaries/debra-elaine-bowles. If you plan to attend we hope you'll join us in wearing pink, something funky, something she gave you, or something else you just plain love.

In lieu of sending any cut flowers (Debbie hated them), please consider a donation to Flynn Christian Fellowship Home, your local women's shelter or AA chapter, or another charity of your choosing, in Debbie's honor.

But most importantly: try to love people in this world the best you can; see them for their pain, instead of any pain they may cause; perform random acts of kindness; and remember Debbie, for as long as you can. In doing so, Debbie's life will continue to fulfill the purpose for which she always longed, but in fact, has always had.

We love her still, and always will, with "both" (all) our hearts.