Debra Powless McCarthy

Debra Ann Powless McCarthy, affectionately known as Debbie, was called to her eternal Heavenly home on February 27, 2026, at the age of 63, after her multi-year-long battle with kidney failure.

Debbie was born on February 27, 1963, in Temple, Texas, to her parents Robert and Dorothy Powless. Debbie's journey was shared with Kevin McCarthy, her beloved husband of 40 years, until his passing in 2023. Together, they raised and are survived by their family, the center of Debbie's world: her daughter, Mara Lynn McCarthy, her oldest son, Robert Benjamin McCarthy, and her youngest son, Thomas Seth McCarthy. Debbie is also remembered by her two grandchildren, Andrew and Liam, her brothers, Louis Cazares and Jorge Ruiz, and her sister, Casey Powless.

Throughout her years, Debbie received higher education at San Jacinto's Central Campus, assisted in the administration of her husband's concrete pumping business, served in a clothes ministry at Cornerstone Church, worked as a substitute teacher in Rankin County schools, and received her "Water Damage Restoration" certification during her tenure as an Assistant Office Manager at ServPro in Brandon, MS.

Debbie enjoyed attending the Choctaw Indian Fair in Philadelphia, Mississippi, celebrating and sharing her Native American heritage with her family. She loved to spend time by the water, whether by the pool or the ocean. She enjoyed listening to The Eagles and Prince, though Elvis Presley maintained his status as her celebrity crush. Most of all, Debbie's greatest joy was found in the time she was able to spend with her children.

Debbie will be remembered as a loving, gentle, and kind soul-the evidence of the life-changing and redemptive work of God in her heart. By God's grace, Debbie is fully healed and restored, reunited with her husband, and now face to face with her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, in whom she placed her hope and trust, for all of eternity.

As we bid farewell to Debbie, we take solace in the words of Jesus that guarded her in the last three years of her life, found in Matthew 5:4: "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted." May you be comforted today in knowing that Debbie is now enveloped in the loving embrace of her Heavenly Father, and may you experience the eternal joy of God's indwelling Spirit and the eternal hope in the promise that we will one day see her again.

A memorial service to honor Debbie's life will be held at Meadow Grove Baptist Church in Brandon, MS on Friday, March 6. Visitation will be held from 10:30-11 AM. Memorial Service begins at 11 AM, followed by Interment at Crestview Memorial Gardens, followed by a celebration of life at Meadow Grove Baptist Church.