Deborah Lynn Rayfield, 71, went home to Jesus on March 1, 2026 in Dallas, Texas. Deborah was born on December 20, 1954 to Warren Meier and Jeanne (Yarbrough) Meier in Fort Worth, Texas.

Deborah graduated from Alvarado High School class of 1973. She was also a proud alumni of Schreiner College in Kerrville, Texas and the University of Texas at Austin where she received her teaching degree in 1978. She taught home economics in Plano, Texas before pursuing other interests. Deborah married her high school sweetheart, Dan, on May 6, 1978 in a ceremony on her family’s farm. They were married for almost 48 years.

Deborah was a woman of many talents and many interests. She was a 6th generation, native Texan and a member of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas. She was an old-school genealogist and historian. She was a founding member of the Indian Trail chapter of Texas Master Naturalists where she focused on eastern bluebirds and native Texas plants. Before retiring to focus on their ranch, Deborah was an antique dealer for many years. She was an avid nature photographer with thousands of postings to the citizen science website “iNat”. At last count her faithful camera had taken over 60,000 images. Deborah also loved reading, gardening, cooking and traveling Texas with Dan in their RV. She was a member of 1st Methodist Church of Midlothian, Texas.

Deborah loved the Lord and His natural world intensely. She loved the life He gave her and never took it for granted. She loved her family and friends. She will be greatly missed.