In Memory

Debrah Lechner

CHANDLER, Ariz. — Debrah Lechner, 65, of Chandler, formerly of Kearney, Neb., died Friday, Oct. 26, 2018, in Chandler.

Burial was June 15 at Kearney Cemetery with Jean Edan from Lincoln (Neb.) Friends Meeting officiating.

She died after a brief illness.

She was born March 12, 1953, in Kearney, the daughter of Bill and Ruby Lechner. She was a 1971 graduate of Kearney High School.

As a young woman, she was a visual artist and a writer.

She married Marcia Elliott on May 27, 1995, under the care of the Lincoln Friends Meeting. In 2000, they moved to Chandler.

She earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Arizona State University studying creative nonfiction. She wrote book reviews, memoirs, fiction and poetry. This led her to a vocation of teaching English as a second language. She loved her students and nurtured their creative spark while they inspired her and honored her.

Survivors include Marcia Elliott of Chandler; sister, Peggy and husband Rick Blanton of Kearney; and a niece and nephew, Katey and Jarad Blanton.