Obituary

From the Asheville Citizen-Times:

Debra Lee McClinton

San Francisco - Debra Lee McClinton, 39, died in San Francisco on Sunday, Nov. 18, 2007. She is remembered for her many gifts, both professional and personal. When Debra talked to or photographed you, you felt like you were the only person in the room. Her eyes were an uncanny blue, and her smile was huge and uninhibited. She found beauty in the most unexpected places. Her adventurous soul, creative energy and unconditional compassion will be sorely missed.

Born on July 25, 1968, in Buffalo, N.Y., Debra spent her early years in New York, and moved with her family to Asheville, N.C., at the age of eight. She graduated from Reynolds High School in 1987, from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill in 1991, with a degree in international studies, then studied fine art photography at Brooks Institute in Santa Barbara, Calif.

She moved to San Francisco in 1993, where she began a successful career under the name Debra McClinton Photographs. Her diverse body of work encompasses exquisite fine art, as well as lifestyle and documentary photography. Well known in the Bay Area and throughout the United States, she has received national and international recognition: her work has been showcased in many publications including Newsweek, Wired, People Magazine, Time, Money, Fortune, Country Living, RealSimple and Brides, to name just a few, and in numerous shows in San Francisco.

Debra was a graceful and kind mother, and a dear friend to countless people. Her heart was open to everyone she encountered. It is no exaggeration to say she was loved by all who had the good fortune to know her.

In San Francisco, she is survived by her daughter, Frankie Ray Hollifield, by Frankie's father, Tony Hollifield, and by her many loving friends [added]; in Asheville, by her parents, Raymond and Sue McClinton, her brother and sisterin-law, Danny and Nancy McClinton, and her nieces, Miah, Ruby, Ava and Josephine McClinton; in Buffalo, by her grandmother, Ilene Hein, uncle, William S. Hein, and aunt, Bonnie Hein Morton; in Jackson, Miss., by her grandfather, Raymond McClinton; in Edwardsville, Ill., by her aunt, Rowena McClinton; and in Tulsa, Okla, by James Barry and family. Her sister, Kimberly Heather McClinton, predeceased her in 2003.

A memorial service will be held in Asheville at the Arboretum at 2 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2007.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials may be made to Helpmate, P.O. Box 2263, Asheville, NC 28802.