Debra Brown Weil

Debra Brown Weil, 68, of Fitzgerald, Georgia, died Sunday, December 7, 2025, at her residence following an extended illness.

Memorial services will be held 3 PM, Wednesday, December 10, 2025, at First Baptist Church of Fitzgerald, with the Rev. Blane Jacobs officiating. Angela Davis will give the eulogy. The family will receive friends from 1 until 3 in the sanctuary on Wednesday.

Mrs. Weil was born May 20, 1957, in Albany, Georgia, to Betty Byrd Walker and the late William D. "Bill" Brown, Jr. She was a 1975 graduate of Fitzgerald High School. She earned her Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Finance from Georgia Southern University, where she was a bat girl for the baseball team and was a member of Phi Mu Sorority. She began her banking career in 1982 at the National Bank of Fitzgerald (later C & S Bank, then Bank of America). She later worked for Nations Bank as a credit analyst, First South Bank, South Trust, The Bank of Fitzgerald (now Colony Bank), Peoples Bank in Bremen, Planters First Bank as City President and Regional Mortgage Originator, and lastly Community Bank as Executive Vice-President, where she retired in 2022, capping a 40-year career. She briefly worked for Ben Hill-Irwin Technical College in the mid-1980s. Mrs. Weil was a longtime community advocate and champion of all things Fitzgerald. She was a past president and Women of the Year with the Junior Women's Club, a member of the Kiwanis Club, Rotary Club, and Arts Council, and actively served on the Boards of the American Cancer Society, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Boys & Girls Club, Chamber of Commerce, and Joint Development Authority. She was also a member of the Foundation Board of Directors for Dorminy Medical Center, Wiregrass Georgia Technical College, and the Ben Hill Education Foundation. Mrs. Weil served with the Community Bankers Association of Georgia as a member of their Leadership Division for over 15 years and as Chairman of the Board of CBA in 2021-22. She was a member of First Baptist Church.

She is survived by her husband, Michael Weil; her three daughters: Melissa & Daniel Cowan, Allison & Kevin Giddens, and Natalie & Adam King; grandchildren: Matthew Cowan, Caden Cowan, Brooklyn Cowan, Lane Nicolelli, Carter King, Callie King, Ana Giddens, and Reaves Giddens; her mother, Betty Walker; and her sister, Deena & Reese Smith. In addition to her father, she was preceded in death by a brother, David William Brown.

The family suggests those desiring to send memorials may send them to First Baptist Church, P.O. Box 367, Fitzgerald, GA 31750 or to Traditions Hospice, 126 S Access Road, Chula GA 31733.

Paulk Funeral Home, Fitzgerald, is in charge of arrangements.