Debra Ann Dillard

Debra Dillard departed this life on Friday, March 19, 2021, at the age of 70.

A lifelong resident of Joliet, Illinois, she attended Joliet Public Schools and was a member of Mt. Zion Baptist Church.  

Debra was well-known for her signature afro and bright, wide smile.

Debra served as a resident council president for many years actively attending every event, service project and chaperoning field trips during her tenure.  She also worked with other volunteer organizations and their programs getting the residents involved.  Being the mother and grandmother that she was, Debra’s care extended to everyone.  She would make sure children boarded the bus in the morning and made it home in the afternoon.  If you were hungry, she would feed you; and if you needed advice, she would tell you what you needed to hear.  Debra was the neighborhood mother and grandmother to many.

Debra could make friends with anyone and when she moved, she quickly became friends with the residents in her building and was part of a community on her floor where she was well-loved.  Debra was a mother, grandmother, sister, and aunt who cherished every occasion to get together to be with family and friends.  

Debra is preceded in death by her parents, Nathan and Nettie Dillard, Aaron Chandler, and Antoinette Peacher; sisters Nadine Dillard, Stephanie Chandler, and Leslie Merrell; brothers Derald and Gerald Roberts; and grandson, Lijah Loper.

Debra will be deeply missed by her sisters, Kathy Alexander and Sheila Chandler; brothers, Sammy Bates and Phillip Bates; sons George Dillard and Shannon (Stacey) Dillard; daughter Tallie Dillard; 13 grandchildren; 14 great-grandchildren; aunt Jyme Towns; Uncle, Earl Chandler; dearest friends Georgia Harris and Andrea Phillips Watkin; and many nieces, nephews and extended family and friends.

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