Debra Sylvia Quilling-Smith Obituary

Rev. Debra Alice Sylvia Quilling-Smith, 73, of Hollywood, South Carolina, died on Sunday, October 26, 2025. Born on October 10, 1952, in Sidney, MT, she was a daughter of the late Walter Clement Quilling, Jr. and Amy Bernilla Rixford Quilling. Rev. Quilling was a beloved pastor, musician, and compassionate servant of God. She passed peacefully in her home, leaving behind a legacy of love, grace, and gratitude that touched countless lives. Born and raised among the wide skies and prairies of Montana, Debra carried with her the spirit of openness, adventure, and awe for creation throughout her life. After completing her degrees at Rocky Mountain College, she graduated from Yale Divinity School and became one of the first female ordained ministers in the United Methodist Church. She had several appointments during her 43 year career, including in chronological order: Park Street Congregation Church (Bridgeport, CT), Nichols United Methodist Church (UMC) (Nichols, CT), the Marlboro Circuit (New Hope, Oak Grove, and Pleasant Hill UMC (South Carolina)), Parnassus UMC (Blenheim, SC), First UMC (Myrtle Beach, SC), Campus Ministry Wesley Foundation (University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC), Rehoboth UMC (Columbia, SC), Manning UMC (Manning, SC), St. John's UMC (Rock Hill, SC). She was active in the United Methodist Conference, being a participant on several boards and serving as a representative for South Carolina at the General Conference. She helped to create the South Carolina Conference Clergy Choir, where her voice and leadership fostered connection and healing through song. Her ministry was rooted in love - to live life fully, to forgive freely, and to walk daily in gratitude. She was especially devoted to serving those on the margins - the infringed and the forgotten - always seeing the divine light within each person she met. In the early 2000s, she and her husband, Carlisle, created Healing Properties, Inc., a non-profit organization in Columbia, SC that provides housing support for disabled homeless. Currently, their organization has about 40 residences and has helped thousands of families with this support for the past two decades. Beyond her devotion of service to others, Debra's love for life was expansive. She was a gifted musician (piano, guitar, and trumpet) and vocalist, a passionate scuba diver, and an explorer of the great outdoors. She enjoyed being with and in nature and showed compassion for all of God's creatures. Most of all, she enjoyed spending time with her family, sharing stories, laughter, and experiences together. Whether singing under vaulted church ceilings or standing beneath the wide Montana sky, she embodied reverence, joy, faith, love, and wonder. Those who knew Debra will remember her for her kindness, her radiant compassion, and her unwavering belief in the power of love to heal and transform. She loved deeply and was deeply loved in return. Her spirit lives on in the music she made, the lives she lifted, and the many hearts that she helped open to grace. Survivors include her husband, Francis Carlisle Smith, Jr.; sons, Matthew Quilling Allen of Pueblo, CO and Nathan Edward Quilling Allen (Laura) of Charleston, SC; stepchildren, Barbara Caroline Smith (Bernie) of Lugoff, SC, Francis Carlisle Smith, III (Sally) of Springfield, SC, Blythe Charlotte Emens (Trent) of Elgin, SC; grandchildren, Thomas Allen, Emilia Allen, Kinley Warlick, Layken Spigner, Caden Smith, Amelia Burkett, Isabel Boquet, Austin Pelfrey, Ellison Emens, and Erskine Emens; great grandchildren, Ellis Noel; her siblings, Ron Quilling of Minneapolis, MN and Brenda Quilling of Aiken, SC. Let us not forget her cherished four-legged companion, Henri J.M. Nouwen, (better known as Henri "The Flash"). In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her brother, Thomas Quilling. The funeral service for Rev. Debra Quilling-Smith will be held at 12 o'clock on Thursday, November 6th, at Shives Funeral Home, Trenholm Road Chapel, 7600 Trenholm Road Extension, Columbia with Rev. Dr. Steve Shugart officiating. Burial will follow at 2 o'clock at Fort Jackson National Cemetery, 4170 Percival Road, Columbia. The family will receive friends prior to the service at the funeral home beginning at 11 o'clock. Memorials may be sent to Healing Properties at www.healingpropertiesinc.com.