Debra Alford Taylor

Debra Alford Taylor was born on May 5 th , 1954 in Savannah, Georgia and was called home by the Lord, at 71; while in the arms of her only child.

She died in her home after losing a more than two - year battle with cancer. She was the oldest of two. She was the daughter of an Air Force mechanic (Harold Alford) and a civil servant (Laverne Alford) so they had to move around and even lived in Japan for awhile when she was a child.

She mainly grew up in Pembroke, Georgia and graduated from Bryan County High School. She had a son at 24 with her husband Holland Richard Taylor. They divorced shortly after. She was a devoted daughter, going to see her parents and taking her son to see his grandparents and great grandmother (Ida Mae Bradley) every weekend. Family was everything to her. She was an even better mother and her son often talked about “he hit the Mom lottery.” She loved God, Family, Friends and Country. She touched so many lives in her short 71 years.

She loved music and the beach. She would go to beach music festivals whenever possible with her son. She loved to dance. She danced to everything from disco as a young adult to later in life she learned to shag dance. She loved to shag so much that she joined the Savannah Shag Club. She even got her son involved and taught him how to shag. He later joined the Savannah Shag Club with her. She had to work hard most of her life but played even harder, making memories with her son. Being a single mother, she often worked two jobs to make extra money. At times even had to play the role of both mother and father to her son. She did it with integrity, dignity, sacrifice and grace.

She truly was an amazing woman. She loved to cook and loved to bake. Baking was her passion. Anyone has tried her sweets knows she was very good at it. She would have what she called “guinea pig night”, where she would try out new recipes. She had a knack for being able to look at all the recipes and pick only the ones that were absolutely delicious.

She started making her own jewelry as a hobby and got pretty good at that too. She always stayed busy, learning new things, living life to the fullest and helping others.

She retired and bought a few motorcycles. She joined the Harley Owners Group (HOG) and became very involved with them and the Harley Dealership. Often volunteering and of course baking sweets. She often referred to them as her extended family. She also joined the Lighthouse Baptist Church and they too became her extended family. She would also do charity work for His Radio (a Christian radio station) as much as she could. She was always such a giving person. She is and will always be loved and missed by so many.

Debra is survived by her younger sister, Nancy Mae Alford and her only child, Joseph Bradley Taylor. She was the daughter of Harold Eliott Alford and E Laverne Alford, both deceased. She was the grandchild of (maternal) Samuel Leon Bradley and Ida Mae Bradley (both deceased) and (paternal)David Nedium Alford and Annie Mae Alford, (both deceased). She also left behind (maternal)uncle, Dr. Sidney Leon Bradley and Barbara (Sherrill) Bradley, Brother-in-law Redmond Stephens Gill, Sr. and his and Nance Mae Alford’s two children, Elizabeth (Johnson) Hilliard and Redmond Stephens Gill, Jr. She also has several great and great-great nephews and nieces.

A special recognition is given to her sister Nancy and brother-in-law, Steve for helping her son take care of Debra when she was going through the most aggressive form of chemo. They took her into their home when she needed round the clock care for about a month. The family would like to give special thanks to the Lighthouse Baptist Church for all of her extended family there for their love and kindness to both Debra and Joseph.

The family would also like to give special thanks to the HOG group and the Savannah Harley Davidson dealership for all of the love and support they showed Debra over the years and to her son, Joseph after the death of his mother.

Debra's memorial services will be held Saturday, February 21, 2026 at 11 o'clock in the morning at Gamble Funeral Service - 410 Stephenson Avenue, Savannah.