Carolyn Deborah Clifton

Carolyn “Debbie” Deborah Clifton, 73, of Amarillo, rejoined her beloved husband and son on January 8, 2026.

No services are scheduled at this time, and a private inurnment ceremony will be held at a later date.

Debbie was born on December 19, 1952, in Pensacola, Florida to Morris and Opal (Gaddis) Bishop. From the very start Debbie had an adventurous spirit. She thrived on walking to her own beat and forging her own path, but her favorite place was the beach. Debbie lived to be on the sand or in the water taking in the salty air with her friends or just by herself. She would leave school or work and make her way to one of her favorite spots to enjoy the sun. Debbie and her friends would even hitchhike to the beach after school, knowing the dangers of doing so but if it meant they could surf, they were willing to risk it.

Debbie cared deeply about her family and was a gracious and loving sister. When her sister Louise was living in Washington D.C., she traveled up to see her. While there, she took the wrong bus and ended up having the time of her life on this spontaneous adventure she found herself on, even though it scared her family to no end when they couldn’t find her. While in Florida she met Larry James Clifton. The two immediately hit it off and began dating. Life would change for them as they progressed in their relationship, and they would soon find themselves moving to the Texas Panhandle. Debbie cried when she left her beloved beaches for what she described as the “dry, dusty desert of Texas.” But she loved Larry so deeply, she went anyway. Larry was the love of her life, and where he went, she followed. They were married in Lefors, Texas on August 25, 1978.

Debbie is preceded in death by her beloved husband, Larry, her son, James “JT” Clifton, her parents, and her brothers, Billy Wayne Roycroft and Charles Daniels Moran. Those left to cherish her memories are her sister, Patricia “Louise” McDonald, grandchildren, Logan James Clifton, Cole Garrett Clifton, and Jacob Daniel Loyd, her nieces, Connie Ann McCrawl and Karen Lynn Goodloe; and her extended family and cherished friends.