Debra Dowling Settle – December 31, 1954 – May 17, 2018

Debra Dowling Settle, on the morning of May 17, 2018, went to be with the Lord after a five year battle with colon cancer.  Debra was being visited and comforted by family members and friends at the Adler Center for Caring in Aldie, Virginia at the time of her death.  She was 63 years old.  Debra was born in Hampton, Virginia and grew up in Gloucester, Virginia.  She graduated from James Madison University in 1976 with a degree in Music.  Prior to graduating, she met her future husband, Tyler, in the spring of 1975, later being crowned Homecoming Queen in the fall of 1975.  Debra and Tyler were married on May 28, 1977 in Gloucester.  Debra and Tyler lived in Reston, Virginia when their first son, Benjamin, was born in November 1983.  Shortly after, the family moved to Houston, Texas where their second son, Daniel, was born in September 1985.  The family lived in Texas until the summer of 1993 when they relocated back to the northern Virginia area, residing in Ashburn since the summer of 1995.

Debra's greatest fulfillment in life was being a devoted mother to her sons.  She stayed at home to raise her sons before transitioning to being a choral director at Farmwell Station Middle School in the fall of 2000, and then at Stone Bridge High School in the fall of 2003.  She also served as a worship leader at Sugar Creek Baptist Church in Houston, Southview Baptist Church in Reston, and Loudoun Bible Church in Ashburn.  At Stone Bridge High School, Debra was nominated for the Agnes Meyer Outstanding Teacher award for Loudoun County, nominated for the Shenandoah University Outstanding Teacher award, had multiple choirs selected to perform at the Virginia Music Educators Association conference as well as the Kennedy Center, and her choirs consistently earned superior ratings at various assessments and festivals.  Marking her retirement from teaching, Debra was chosen to be the commencement speaker by the Stone Bridge High School graduating class of 2016.

Debra was a woman of extraordinary Christian faith in Jesus, regularly leading bible studies at her churches.  She also enjoyed spending time with her family, particularly her two grandsons. Some of her other interests included running and beach trips to Salvo, North Carolina.

Debra was preceded in death by her parents Louise Bristow Dowling and Donald Oliver Dowling.  Debra leaves behind to cherish her memory her husband Tyler, her sister Donna Dowling, and her sister-in-law Jane Settle Stanley; sons Benjamin (Michelle) Settle and Daniel (Lauren) Settle; and grandsons Luke and Nathan.  The family would like to thank the staff of Loudoun County Hospital for the supportive and welcoming environment provided to Debra for the last weeks of her life. We are especially grateful to the staff of the Adler Center for Caring for the attentive and compassionate care given to Debra in the last days and hours of her life as well as the uplifting support given to her family.  A celebration of life for Debra will be held at 5 p.m. Thursday, May 31, 2018, at Christian Fellowship Church, Ashburn, with family visitation at 4 p.m. and reception to follow the celebration.  The family requests that her memory be honored with a donation to the Adler Center for Caring in Aldie, Virginia.