Debbie M Fretland

Debbie Miller Fretland, 57, left this world to be with her heavenly Father on January 25, 2017. She had successfully battled multiple medical conditions for twenty-eight years but her indomitable spirit was finally more than the frailties of her body could contain.

Debbie was born in Tallahassee on September 16, 1959. After graduating from Rickards High School she pursued a career in court reporting, eventually owning a successful business in that profession. She moved to Pensacola in 1987 to marry and eventually left the court reporting field due to her illness. She subsequently opened an antique gallery specializing in ceramics and pottery. In 1997 she became a mother and devoted herself full time to her son.

Debbie was known for her faith, her intellect, the strength of her personality, her laugh and her passion for her family and friends. She loved to laugh and to tell stories. Her eye for fashion and design was superb, Debbie's friend Cindy Spence has said.

She was wickedly funny and could describe a story like no one else. She was super intelligent but also had a lot of street savvy. She was a dirt road sport, too, keeping the three men in her life in line while still maintaining her classical feminine flair. She loved pearls, antiques, purses and fancy shoes but she would dig in the yard, and watch football or wrestling. She was always positive and optimistic and always concerned for others more than she was for herself. She never sat around depressed, feeling sorry for herself and feeling hopeless. She talked about her medical issues as if they were an annoying mosquito swarming around her ears while she was trying to sleep.

Debbie Fretland is survived by her husband of 29 years, Millard Fretland; her 19 year old son, Robert Wade Fretland; and her 89 year old father, William C. Miller.

Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m., Tuesday, January 31, 2017 at Bayview Fisher-Pou Chapel. Interment will follow at Bayview Memorial Park.

The family will receive friends from 10:00 a.m. until 11:00 a.m., Tuesday at the funeral home.

BAYVIEW FISHER-POU CHAPEL, 3351 Scenic Highway is entrusted with arrangements.