Debra Lynn Grim

The passing of Debra Lynn Grim has been publicly announced by Cannon Cleveland Funeral Home, McDonough, GA.
On March 12, 1956, Debra Lynn Grim was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, to parents Curtis and Chris Gallman.
At age 69, Debra made a peaceful, but unexpected transition to Heaven on Tuesday morning, April 15, 2025, at Henry Medical Center.
Debra is survived by her husband of 24 years, Tony Grim, McDonough, GA, father, Curtis Gallman, sister, Toya, of Covington, GA, niece, Sarah Barrett of Covington, GA, her husband Eddie and her 2 sons, Owen 14 and Bobby 11.
Even though Tony and Debra were only married for 24 years, they were together for almost 34 years. Since 1992!
Debra was preceded in death by her mother, Chris Gallman, and sister, Terri Fowler, her beloved cats Tommy Magnum and Prissy.
Debra dearly loved her sister Toya and Toya loved her. Toya really enjoyed Debbie (as she called her) taking her to the movies along with popcorn and a coke. Toya would carefully eat her popcorn one piece at a time. Toya would sometimes spend 2 to 3 days at Debbie's house. While there they would do puzzles, watch Hallmark movies, bake cookies, cupcakes and Toya would help Debbie feed her birds, squirrels and chipmunks. When Debbie traveled, one of her first stops while on the trip was to get a postcard for Toya along with a special gift for her. Holidays were special to Toya and she always knew she would be getting something special from Debbie on those occasions.
Debra had a passion for the outdoors, all things nature and wildlife. She loved working in the yard and she loved her birds and butterflies. She was always weed eating, trimming bushes and trees, putting down pine straw/mulch and planting/pruning flowers. Very seldom found a weed in her gardens. She loved growing roses, azaleas, irises, hibiscus, and peonies, along with other types of flowers that were hummingbird and butterfly friendly. She couldn't wait to see which colors would bloom first each year. Beginning in March of each year, she would put out 2 hummingbird feeders in her yard which would increase to 20 or more feeders by July thru September (which was the peak season). They would need to be filled up repeatedly thru the summer using 25 lb. bags of sugar to make the syrup. She would wash and clean each feeder every time they were filled up. Debra also loved bluebirds. She would put out 3 or 4 bluebird houses each spring along with small plastic cups. When the nesting season started, she would put live mealworms in the cups thru the entire nesting season which included probably 3 to 4 broods per house. She would get so excited when each group was hatched, then when they left the nest and then when the adult birds would bring the young bluebirds back to the feeder cups for mealworms. She knew all the various types of birds not by just seeing them, but also knew the sounds of each and could identify each one by their sound if you couldn't actually see them. She would also make the peanut butter and raisin suet for the birds. Making it several times a week during the spring and summer. Debra also kept on hand 50 lb. bags of corn, peanuts, and bird seed to feed the deer, raccoons, squirrels, chipmunks, birds, and even rabbits that frequented their yard. Debra was also a member of and donated to numerous wildlife and nature associations. Nature brought her much joy.
Debra and Tony were able to travel extensively including trips to Alaska (3 times), Arizona (2 times), Aruba, Colorado (Rocky Mountain National Park), California (Yosemite National Park), Hawaii, Costa Rica, Mexico, Canada, Maine (4 times), Montana (4 times) (Yellowstone once and 3 times-Glacier National Park) and Captiva Island, Florida (20 times). Captiva and Sanibel islands are known for their seashells and she always took an empty suitcase to bring back the ornate seashells they would find. The Captiva trips included shelling, fishing and numerous visits to the Ding Darling Wildlife Refuge along with watching the beautiful stunning sunsets over the Gulf.
Debra was an excellent photographer and always had her camera with her and captured amazing memories while on their travels. Debra also had photos she had taken at concerts thru the years. Some of her photos were featured in contests and magazine articles, also filling many albums and disks in date order on shelves in their home.
Debra was a devoted employee of Southern Bell/BellSouth/AT&T for 28 years (1979 to 2007). She worked her way up in many Departments, retiring as an Executive Secretary in downtown Atlanta Headquarters.
Debra enjoyed sports too. She loved her Atlanta Braves and was a dedicated cheerleader either attending games or watching them on television every season. Debra was an exceptional bowler winning trophies thru the years participating on many leagues and in tournaments all over the southeast. In the nineties, she had one of the highest female bowling averages in the Atlanta area. She also enjoyed watching college football, NFL football, tennis, and golf along with many other sports. She also attended several NASCAR races. Dale Earnhart Jr was her favorite.
Debra and Tony shared a love of fishing. She could perfectly tie the knot on a hook faster than anybody! It came naturally to her. Debra and Tony visited Brosnan Forest in Dorchester, South Carolina 24 times from 1992 to 2019! The week there each year would always be the last week of April or the first week in May. Debra couldn't wait to get the vehicle unloaded, get out on the ponds and get her line in the water. Most times she caught a catfish within 10 minutes. She caught so many catfish there thru the years. Mostly all catch and release. Some as large 10 to 15 pounds or more. She would stay on the ponds from daylight to dark and sometimes after dark. Some of the catfish would be cleaned, filleted, cut in smaller pieces and deep fried in fish baskets a couple of times during the week. They were so good! Debra always enjoyed seeing the black faced squirrels, geese, ducks, wild turkeys and deer. There were also all types of birds everywhere. The Forest was like a bird sanctuary.
Debra and Tony also loved trout fishing in north Georgia. They would rent various cabins on the river and made several trips a year, mostly to the Toccoa River near Blue Ridge, Georgia. Debra had chest waders and really enjoyed the peacefulness and serenity of the mountains, while wading and navigating the stream with the sound of the flowing water and catching trout. She actually became quite good at trout fishing thru the years catching many trophy trout that most fisherman would have been proud of. All catch and release!
Holidays, especially Christmas and Halloween, were special to Debra. She decorated their home extensively with trees, lights, wreaths, and a Department 56 Christmas village. Halloween was decorated with ghosts and pumpkins. She loved planning and preparing Thanksgiving and Christmas meals for family and friends. She also loved cooking and baking.
When the tomatoes, squash, and beans were ripe each summer, Debra would focus her attention on canning. Friends were standing in line hoping to be on the list to receive a jar of her delicious canned vegetables or salsa.
Crafts were an important part of Debra's life. She attended many craft festivals thru the years. Debra learned to cross-stitch many years ago. She made items featuring nature, holidays, and sayings for family and special friends who cherished them. Every stitch was perfect. She made many of her wreaths, bows, ornaments and flower arrangements. She also handmade cards for family and friends on special occasions spending hours to complete one card.
Debra was a devoted loving wife and a reliable, trusted friend to all who knew her. Her warmth, generosity, and love will be deeply missed. We will forever remember that beautiful grin and sparkle in her eyes. Gone from this world way too soon.
Debra loved life and lived it to the fullest.
Rest in peace Debra. You will forever be loved, forever be missed and forever held in our hearts.
No services are planned at this time. Those who wish may sign the online guest registry at cannonclevelandfunerals.com. To plant a beautiful memorial tree in memory of Debra, please visit our Tree Store.