The city of Lula’s 2025 Grand Marshal, longtime resident, social advocate and devoted Christian Debbie Hubbard Smith died unexpectedly on Tuesday, May 13. She was 68.
Debbie, known as a beacon of support in the community, is lovingly remembered by her daughter and son-in-law, Misty and Stephen Jackson of Alto; her brother, Eddie Hubbard (Patricia Lewis) of Banks County; and her grandchildren Oakley, Oxley, and Olive, who called her “Nana.”
A funeral service was held on Friday, May 16, at Airline Baptist Church. Smith was laid to rest at Living Mission Methodist Church Cemetery in Lula.
In the end, among any group, Debbie will always be remembered for a list of traits: Her radiant glow, her compassionate soul and a smile that could brighten the darkest day.
Debbie, a graduate of Lanier Technical College, worked for many years as a secretary before her retirement.
Debbie Hubbard Smith: An unforgettable person
Marilyn Grier, one of Debbie’s closest friends, recalled that she felt connected to Debbie even before they met. A powerful friendship forged by fate.
Before that, Grier would drive past a particular ranch house daily, always feeling curious about who lived there. One day, she found out.
In the early-2000s, Grier was standing outside the home of a man nearing the end of his life when a large “banana yellow” car pulled up. Debbie stepped out, moving quickly to assist the man – her father – out of the passenger side.
“I’d never met her, but I feel like I knew her,” Marilyn Grier said. “I believe it was just meant for us to have a relationship.”
By 2018, Marilyn Grier, a retired teacher, started the Lula Ladies. With Debbie’s addition, a close friendship quickly blossomed. It was after only just a few meetings that Debbie came to City Hall, plates of food in hand, and became a devout member. For years to come, Debbie would become fundamental in the development of Lula Ladies, an outreach group promoting business and community togetherness.
And to this day, Debbie’s smile remains unforgettable to Marilyn Grier.
“She just walked through that door with that smile,” Marilyn Grier said. “Debbie had such a positive attitude about life, never negative, and the way she made connections between people was unbelievable.”
At the end of each session, Debbie would pack leftover food for anyone in need and deliver containers to Lula Mercantile owner Dave Wilson, who remembers her feeding up to 40 homeless people at a time on any given night.
“One night, Debbie came by with more food than we had a place to store – canned goods, everything,” Wilson said. “We sat out here almost the whole night. Everybody that came by got fed. And we did that multiple times with food Debbie delivered.”
Wilson added: “If everybody could be Debbie, I couldn’t imagine how much better this world would be. That is her legacy.”
Debbie was always ready to serve. Her garage served as a makeshift food bank throughout every month of every year, and her car was often filled with donated clothes she redistributed to those in need.
“She was the car on a mission to help somebody – every single day,” Marilyn Grier said. “That was her joy.”
A legacy of faith and compassion
Former Lula Mayor Jim Grier also reflected on the profound legacy Debbie leaves behind.
“Debbie meant a lot to the community,” he said. “She drew people in. She made connections among people. She loved Jesus, and she brought his love to this community and shared it everywhere she went.”
Debbie lived her life modeled after Jesus Christ, committed to serving the poor, the sick, the suffering, the hungry and the homeless.
A member of Airline Baptist Church for 25 years, Debbie would receive calls from the church whenever someone in the community needed help – whether a widow, a senior citizen who had fallen ill or someone behind on bills.
Every time, the church called Debbie – and then she made things happen.
“Debbie was always aware of everything around her, and if there were any needs in the community,” Airline Baptist Church Executive Pastor Mike Welborn said. “She was always informing us of what was going on in the community. She just loved people. I don’t think I ever saw her not smiling.”
One day, at a church event distributing food to those in need, Welborn recalls, Debbie left with several plates for delivery, then returned five minutes later for more.
“She’d run into a family sitting on the side of the road and gave them the food, so she came back to get more,” Welborn said. “She just loved helping people. If someone needed something, she was there. She was a kind-hearted person, and she will be missed greatly.”
As the backbone of a community, Jim Grier noted Debbie’s ability to connect needs with resources.
“People would say, ‘Debbie, I’ve got this five-pound sack of potatoes. Do you know anybody that needs some potatoes?’ And Debbie would say, ‘Well, sure, I think I could put that in a good place.’ She always knew somebody that needed a meal that week… It might have been they needed a wheelchair or medical equipment.”
“And she delivered,” Marilyn Grier agreed. “She ran a mission from her home on a daily basis.”
A follower of Christ
For the past two years, Debbie participated in Journaling with Jesus – a group that reads scripture, deepens prayer and seeks to channel messages through Jesus Christ.
Monie Bardoul, a fellow member, described Debbie’s spiritual connection with Christ.
“I watched Jesus speak so sweetly to Debbie,” she said. “There was one day that Jesus told Debbie, ‘You’re beautiful.’ I watched her just become a little girl again, and receive Jesus saying, ‘Debbie, you’re beautiful.'”
On another occasion, Bardoul said Jesus told Debbie she was worthy, sparking a profound reaction from Debbie.
“One day, as we were getting ready to leave, Debbie threw her stuff down on my kitchen island and said, ‘Oh my goodness. I’m worthy. I’m worthy. Jesus just told me I’m worthy, and I’m worthy.’ And she was absolutely transformed in that moment in knowing how worthy she was to her creator.”
“Debbie loved Jesus, and she loved serving him,” Bardoul added. “She loved telling people about him. She lived by his word that says, ‘Honor one another. Love one another. Humble yourself before one another.’ And she did that just naturally from her heart.”
A friend and a hero
As a reporter who covered Lula, I remember Debbie always smiling at the door, handing out meeting agendas to all, before every council meeting. Even after I moved on in my career, Debbie kept in touch – calling regularly just to check in. Calls that were supposed to last minutes sometimes stretched into hours.
The last time I spoke to Debbie was in late-April after she was named Grand Marshal in Lula’s Railroad Days parade. Never one to seek recognition, Debbie struggled to accept the honor. I told her it was long overdue and that she deserved it. And now, if I could go back, I’d spend more time, stretching that phone conversation longer, making sure she knew it.
Kathie Butler, a friend of Debbie’s, said it best: “Debbie was the biggest, brightest light you could ever see,” she said. “She was an amazing person. I don’t think Lula will ever be the same. Debbie was a part of everything. She’d do everything. She never wanted to take credit. She downplayed everything. I don’t know too many people like that. Debbie was a true blessing.”
Debbie was known for taking countless photos at events – always of others, rarely of herself. The pictures in her phone, no doubt, holds thousands of captured moments and memories that tell the story of a community over the course of many years.
When I heard of Debbie’s passing, I felt the world had lost someone irreplaceable. Lula City Clerk Tangee Puckett – who, alongside fellow City Clerk Teresa Heath, had a hand in naming Debbie Grand Marshal – expressed the same sentiment as everyone else.
“I don’t even know how to put Debbie in words,” Puckett said. “She was an absolute amazing person. There will never be another Debbie Smith. She was absolutely one of a kind. She had the biggest heart. She never asked for help, but she was always willing to help anybody and everybody. She was Lula, and Lula will never be the same.”
Councilman Tony Cornett echoed the same admiration.
“Debbie was a force in Lula with a passion to care for everyone she met,” Cornett said. “She was a ‘connector’ of people. If there was a need, she found someone who could meet that need. If she ever asked you for anything, you knew she was asking for someone in need. All were willing to help if she ever asked. She was very instrumental in me and my wife Amy’s involvement with the community. It was her encouragement that led me to serve in so many ways including service on Lula City Council.”
Debbie always believed in me, as a person and a journalist, no matter what or where I went. Debbie was everywhere, all at once. If something mattered to the community, you could bet Debbie was there – either before you arrived or just after – phone in hand, ready to capture the moment. Over the years, she likely preserved thousands of those moments in her phone, each telling a story – stories she didn’t just witness, but helped shape. She never made it about herself. For Debbie, it was always about other people.
Known for the warmth, positivity and the light she brought to every person she met, Debbie had a rare gift: She touched not just individual lives, but an entire community – deeply and genuinely.
As someone who meets and interviews hundreds of people a year, I can say with certainty that I will never meet another person like Debbie Smith. And if she were here now, I can hear her smile as she’d say, “I’m alright, hun. Y’all take care of each other, and I’ll see y’all soon.”
