Deborah Florence (Keene) Williams was born November 5, 1944 in Baltimore, Maryland to the late William C. and Rosie S. Keene. After a short illness she returned to her Lord and Savior, where she was home with her loving family. Debbie was preceded in death by brothers, Ronald and William and sister Carleen.

Debbie loved the Lord! She was christened at 5 weeks old and this started her on her path to follow the Lord. Her activities included Sunday School, church services, BYPU and camp meetings. She accepted Christ as her personal Savior and was baptized on a cold Easter Sunday morning at the tender age of 11 at Memorial Baptist Church. Debbie enjoyed singing and was a part of many choirs as a child; and as a young adult, she taught both Sunday School and Vacation Bible School.

Debbie was educated in the Baltimore City School system and graduated from  Dunbar High in 1962 with honors. In the 10th grade she asked Randy, who was good in Math, to help her in algebra. “I was terrible. What a God send!” Debbie and Randy married a year following her graduation from High School on November 30, 1963, and from that union are our three wonderful children, Angela, Randolph and Stephen.

In 1969, the family moved to Prince George’s County rather than continue the long commute to the National Bureau of Standards in Washington, DC. They purchased their first home in Seat Pleasant. To find a new church home, the family visited two other churches before joining First Baptist Church of Highland Park.  At Highland Park, she taught Sunday School, Vacation Bible School and sang with the Lucy Wyatt Choir.

Debbie attended Prince George’s Community College and Bowie State University. Debbie and son, Randy Jr., graduated from Bowie on the same day: Randy with his Masters; Debbie with her Bachelors. She would tell her children that education was important and lived the example.  Deborah was initiated into Alpha Kappa Alpha, Iota Gamma Chapter in 1995. After graduation, she worked for 25 years for the Department of Treasury until her retirement.

Debbie loved meeting people and engaging with family.  She was stern, but had a very compassionate heart for all who knew her. Debbie stated “You have filled my life tremendously and I thank you for my journey. God places people in our lives to help us grow. I Thank You!”  Deborah leaves to cherish her memory: her loving husband and friend of over 53 years, Randolph, Sr; daughter, Angela Warr, sons Randolph, Jr. (Yolanda) and Stephen; her sister, B. Amanda Jordan; brothers: Russell and Calvin Keene (Vanessa) and Edward Moore (Marcia); granddaughters, Denise, Randi, Cortavia and Kimberly; and a host of aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, nephews and other family and friends.

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