Debra Janet Twitchell

The Life Story of Debra Janet Twitchell

(Born Debra Janet Elliott)

March 15, 1958 – March 8, 2026

Debra Janet Twitchell was born Debra Janet Elliott on Saturday, March 15, 1958. The world she was born into was one of change and progress. That same year, NASA was established, Alaska was approved for statehood by the United States Congress, and music from artists like Elvis Presley and The Everly Brothers filled the airwaves. Movies such as Vertigo, Gigi, and South Pacific were in theaters, while television audiences were discovering new shows like The Donna Reed Show. It was a time of optimism, new technology, and cultural change.

Debra was born to Myrtle Jean Dudley and Bert Arnold Elliott. Her parents’ marriage lasted a short time. Debra’s early years would be shaped by the many relationships that entered her world as her family grew and changed.

Debra’s mother later married Von M. Hutchings, and Debra grew up in a blended family surrounded by many siblings and extended relatives. Debra spent her childhood moving between several Utah communities and schools. Her early education began at Reese Elementary School in Spanish Fork, where she attended kindergarten through second grade from 1963 to 1966. She later attended Franklin Elementary School in Provo for third grade, before returning to Reese Elementary for fourth and fifth grade. Her elementary years concluded at Timpanogos Elementary School in Provo, where she attended sixth grade during the 1969–1970 school year.

In 1970, Debra began seventh grade at Dickson Junior High School in Provo, and during this time, she discovered something that would become one of the most important parts of her life: music. She began playing the clarinet, an instrument that would stay with her throughout her school years and bring her great joy.

Debra later attended Richfield Junior High School in Richfield, Utah, where she continued to play the clarinet in both the marching and concert bands. Music became her social circle and her creative outlet. Band tours became exciting highlights of her school years, including a trip to Disneyland during ninth grade.

High school brought even more change. Debra attended Grand Junction High School in Colorado for tenth grade, where she continued to perform in the symphonic and marching bands. When her family moved back to Utah, she returned to Provo High School, where she completed her eleventh and twelfth grade years. Throughout high school, Debra remained deeply involved in music. She played the clarinet in the symphonic band and marching band, performing during both the summer and fall semesters. Music was one of the places where she truly felt like herself. Debra also loved attending musicals and found great joy in watching live performances. In addition to music, she enjoyed playing softball, where she built friendships and loved being part of a team. She graduated from Provo High School in 1976, a particularly special year as the United States celebrated its Bicentennial. Debra was proud to play in the orchestra at her graduation ceremony, a moment she remembered as meaningful in her life.

Music was not only something she loved—it also helped her physically. Debra struggled with respiratory problems from childhood, and playing the clarinet helped her strengthen her breathing. The discipline of music became both therapy and passion. She continued to pursue education and personal growth. After high school, Debra enrolled at Utah Technical College in Provo (now Utah Valley University) in August 1976. She studied Early Childhood Education and completed her certificate in 1978.

During this time, Debra worked as a teacher’s aide in the Provo School District, assisting teachers in classrooms and helping prepare lesson plans and classroom materials. She worked at Grandview Elementary School and Timpanogos Elementary School, where she discovered a deep love for working with children and supporting their learning. Debra had also begun working even earlier in life. During her sophomore year of high school, she took a small job at a store called The Lighthouse, owned by a couple in her church ward, working a few hours each week. The job allowed her to earn a little money to buy things she needed.

As she entered adulthood, Debra felt a strong spiritual calling to serve a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. On September 10, 1983, Debra entered the Missionary Training Center and served a mission in Nashville, Tennessee. She served faithfully until March 1985, gaining experiences that strengthened her faith and personal independence.

After returning from her mission, Debra dedicated her life to serving others. She began working at the Utah State Developmental Center, formerly known as the Utah Training School, where she cared for individuals with developmental disabilities. This work required deep patience, compassion, and unwavering dedication—qualities that Debra exemplified each day. She remained there for approximately twenty-one years, devoting much of her adult life to helping and uplifting others, while also forming meaningful friendships with coworkers that often grew beyond the workplace.

It was during this time that she met Keven James Twitchell. Their relationship grew through their shared work and friendship, and they were eventually married on November 28, 1990.

Together, they moved into their home in American Fork, Utah, where they built their life together. Debra embraced family life wholeheartedly. She became a mother and stepmother to Jefferey, Scott, Deven, and Derek, and her love for children extended far beyond her own home.

Debra was the most dedicated mother her children could have asked for. She attended every sports game, supported us in our interests, and was always there when we needed her. Our friends were never just visitors in our home—she welcomed them and unofficially adopted many of them into the family.

She later continued this meaningful work at Affinity, where she had the special opportunity to work alongside her husband, Keven, and at Chrysalis, where she served as a job coach, supporting individuals as they developed skills and found purpose in their work. In each of these roles, Debra not only cared deeply for those she served but also built lasting relationships with those around her. Her kindness and genuine love for people left a lasting impact on all who knew her.

For many years, Debra and Keven also participated in foster care, opening their home to children who needed safety, stability, and compassion. Among those they welcomed were Alan Nielson and Jay Patterson, who became part of their family and were loved as their own. Debra believed deeply that every child deserved love, patience, and someone willing to care for them. Her willingness to open her home to so many children reflected the depth of her kindness.

Debra loved spending time outdoors with her family, especially camping. Being in nature brought her peace, and she often said the fresh mountain air helped her breathe better. Family trips created lasting memories, including visits to Disneyland, the California coast, San Diego, Yosemite National Park, and the unforgettable redwood forests.

Closer to home, the family enjoyed annual passes to Lagoon in Farmington, camping trips to Wellsville for opening weekend fishing, visits to Lake Mead, Yellowstone, and family reunions in Montana and Provo Canyon. Many days were also spent together exploring Utah’s outdoors and its historic ghost towns—moments Debra truly cherished.

Camping remained a meaningful part of Debra’s life for many years. In 2019, the family camped together at Moon Lake, returning to a place she had shared with extended family throughout the years. Her final camping trip took place in August 2024 at the same American Fork Canyon campground. This trip was especially significant, as she strongly desired to go despite increasing difficulty with walking due to hip pain and breathing challenges. During that trip, she was still able to cook a family meal in her Dutch oven—one of her favorite traditions. One of Debra’s greatest joys was camping and spending time outdoors with her family. She loved the mountains and often said the fresh air helped her breathe better.

Over the years the family shared many camping trips and adventures together, including trips to Yellowstone, Moon Lake, Simpson Springs, Dutchman Mine, American Fork Canyon, and fishing and camping trips in the Wellsville Mountains. Many of these trips became large family gatherings that included her nieces and nephews, and Debra loved making camping a true family event where everyone could spend time together outdoors. The family also enjoyed vacations to Disneyland, the California coast, Yosemite, and the redwood forests.

Being surrounded by nature and her family brought her deep happiness and peace. Debra faced many health challenges throughout her life, such as asthma, allergies, and an irregular heartbeat. When she was about 14 or 15 years old, she suffered a serious accident when a horse stepped on the right side of her face, leaving her with a severe black eye and likely a concussion or traumatic brain injury. She struggled afterward with schoolwork and physical symptoms, though she continued forward despite the difficulties.

She also dealt with respiratory problems for much of her life, which made activities like playing the clarinet especially meaningful. In her later years, Debra developed kidney disease. She was diagnosed in September of 2025 and given six months to live. On February 24, 2026, Debra and Keven met with her kidney specialist and learned that her kidneys were functioning at only 11 percent. They were told to begin preparing for the end of life. Debra passed away peacefully on Sunday, March 8, 2026, just one week before her 68th birthday.

Debra Janet Twitchell lived a life defined by resilience, compassion, faith, and devotion to family. She was a musician, a caregiver, a teacher’s aide, a missionary, a foster mother, and above all, a woman who cared deeply about the people around her. Her legacy lives on through the many lives she influenced—through the children she helped raise, the foster children she cared for, the individuals she served in her career, and the family members who will always remember her love. Debra’s life was one of faith. She opened her home and heart to many and will be remembered for her kindness, her testimony of Jesus Christ, her love of the outdoors, and the many lives she influenced.

Debra was preceded in death by her father, Bert Arnold Elliott; her mother, Myrtle Jean Dudley Hutchings; her stepfather, Von Hutchings; her brothers, Bert Arnold Elliott Jr. and Craig Hutchings; along with many other aunts, uncles, and extended family members. Her family takes comfort in the belief that she has been joyfully reunited with loved ones who have gone before her and have welcomed her home.

She is survived by her devoted husband, Keven Twitchell; her children, Jeffery Twitchell, Scott Twitchell, Deven Twitchell, and Derek Twitchell; and members of her foster family, including Alan Nielson and Jay Patterson, who were loved as part of her family. She is also survived by her cherished grandchildren, Kimberly, Aubriella, and Dorothy; her stepmother, Leah Hone Elliott; and her many sisters, Sabrina Haycock, Sheryl Sissler, Katrina Barney, Kristine Coffman, Robin Sass, Rochelle Hutchings, Rolonda Johnson LeFevre, Christine Elliott-Corbett, Connie Becker, Cynthia Carter, and Brenda Bartholomew, along with many nieces, nephews, and extended family members who loved her deeply. She will be deeply missed by her husband, her children and grandchildren, her many sisters, and all who knew and loved her.

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