Deborah A. Briddell

On Sunday, November 27, 2016, Deborah (Waters) Briddell went to her eternal resting place. She was born in Dover, Delaware on January 25, 1950, to the late Almeta Viola Waters and the late Elwood Holland. Although a native of Delaware, most of her formative years were spent at the Maryland School for the Blind which is a residential school in Baltimore, Maryland. She graduated, as well as, from the Parkville Senior High School in June of 1970. She then entered Marywood University in Scranton, PA, and graduated from there in 1974 with a B.A. degree in Elementary and Special Education. In January of 1975, she began teaching in the Resource Room for the Visually Impaired in Sussex County. She retired in June of 2000, after spending 6 years in the Milford School District and 20 years in the Seaford School District. After retiring, she spent 5 years volunteering in the community, teaching Braille. In January of 2005, she began working as service Coordinator for the Peer Support Service of the Delaware Association for the Blind. While there, she acquired a certification in Volunteer Administration from Delaware Technical and Community College. As of August 2010, Deborah began work as an Activities Assistant for the Modern Maturity Center in Dover, where she worked with the blind in the adult daycare center and gave resource information for the blind, to the general public. Deborah spent much of her time serving as an advocate for the blind as a member and past President of the National Federation of the Blind of Delaware and through participation on many councils and committees for the State. These include: The State Rehabilitation Council where she has served as vice chair, chair and past chair; Statewide Independent Living Council; Governor’s Advisory Council on the Blind; Delaware Coalition for Americans with Disabilities; Independent Living Advisory Committee where she served as chair; Delaware Assistive Technology Initiative Advisory Board; and Delaware Library Access Service Consumer Advisory Council and Friends where she served as chair. She loved reading, playing cards, listening to her favorite group, “Earth, Wind and Fire” and playing the piano. She was the Minister of Music for several churches in the Dover area; Star Hill AME Church near Camden and Emmanuel AME Church in Hartly. Deborah began playing for the youth choir of Mount Zion AME Church in June 1971. She served as musician for the choir for over 30 years and was active in the youth and women’s ministries. She was appointed to the Board of Christian Education by the late Rev. Rudolph Coleman and served as its director for the past several years. As director of Christian Education, Deborah started the church newsletter, “Spiritual Perspective” and remained a staple with the church’s vacation Bible school. Deborah was a faithful member of the National Sorority of Phi Delta Kappa Inc. and Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. and loved all of her sisters deeply. Deborah loved to travel and has been to many places throughout the country with the National Federation of the Blind; not to mention, the many church trips she went on with her various “road partners”. Her greatest position and passion was as “Mom-mom” to her granddaughters, Aniya and Louciana. Deborah is preceded in death by her brothers, Oscar Waters, Jr. and Stephen D. Waters; her sister, Barbara Johnson; a nephew, Oscar Adkins and her best friend for life (and former husband), Oris A. Lewis. During Deborah’s union with Larry J. Briddell, Sr. of Salisbury, MD, she gave birth to her heart; Larry J. Briddell, Jr. by whom she is survived. Along with her son, she leaves behind her uncle, Hurley Purnell of Berlin, MD and favorite aunt, Thelma A. Brown; a sister, Lena Ingram of Dover; three nephews, Michael A. Patterson of Georgia, D. Jerome Minus of New Jersey, and Aron E. Johnson of Dover; a host of cousins (including her “sister-cousin”, Jacqueline A. Brown of Bear, DE), great-nieces and nephews; three great-great nieces and two great-great-great nieces, not to mention, all of her friends, church families and two great friends and confidants, Rev. Rita Paige and Ken Huff. Lovingly submitted, The Family To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Deborah A. Briddell, please visit our Heartfelt Sympathies Store.

Deborah A. Briddell

January 25, 1950 - November 27, 2016