Deborah Robertson Gordon

Deborah Denise Robertson Gordon, was welcomed into God’s Garden on August 21, 2025, now enjoying heaven’s best pair of wings and an eternity of well-deserved rest. Her beloved father Adrian Robertson was there to welcome her to God’s head table with open arms, while her adored daughters Rachel and Karlee Gordon look up to her in heaven as much as they looked up to her in life. Debbie was a best friend to everyone she knew, a lighthouse for every boat that crossed her path. She emanated warmth, hope, and happiness. God took time and care crafting her heart of gold, and one needed only a single interaction with her to prove it. Along with her daughters, Debbie is survived by her mother, Connie Robertson, brother Craig, and sister-in-law Natalie. Among those who mourn her as a sisterhood found in life are Mrs. Dora Ellsworth, Mrs. Anne Orwig, Mrs. Daphne Templeton, and Mrs. Vicki Newman. She leaves behind many loving Aunts and Uncles, among whom are Mr. A.D. Robertson, Mrs. Jackie Neal, Mrs. Eileen Dyson and Mr. Jimmy Dyson. She also leaves behind a host of cousins who share her heart of gold, among whom is Mr. Terry Robertson. Debbie was a true and proud Virginia native. After graduating from Western Branch High School in Chesapeake, Virginia, Debbie earned a bachelor’s degree in marketing education from Old Dominion University. In 1986, she obtained her master’s degree from ODU in computer science, being among some of the first women to focus her studies on the emergence of computer technology. Debbie began her career with the Virginian Pilot newspaper in Norfolk, Virginia. She then founded a computer learning center in Chesapeake, Virginia. She followed with a successful and rewarding career with AOPA Pilot magazine in Frederick, Maryland. Upon moving to Orlando, Florida, she raised her daughters the only way she knew how: by being the best. In devoting her life to her daughters, she became avidly involved in the Girl Scouts of America, various Parent Teacher’s Associations, served as a board member of the Birth Defects Research Association, and served as an integral member of the United Parish of Celebration church. When Debbie’s eldest daughter, Rachel, fell seriously ill at 19 years old, Debbie became a full-time caretaker, working endlessly to ensure Rachel lived the rest of her life in comfort. Simultaneously, Debbie ensured her youngest daughter, Karlee, pursued her dream of attending law school with no obstacles in Karlee’s way. Only three months prior to Debbie’s passing, she watched Karlee graduate from William & Mary Law School while Rachel sat next to her mother enjoying a newfound stability in her medical journey. Suffice to say Debbie’s time for eternal rest arrived when she knew her life’s devotion to both of her daughters could come to a rewarding and bittersweet close. When she was not making her loved one’s smile, serving as a rock for her daughters, or fighting the battles God set before her, she enjoyed gardening while keeping an eye out for red cardinals, cooking delicious meals, cross-stitching masterpieces, and loving any animal that needed a home. She had a particular fondness for the most enriching of reality television and laughed to the series “The Office” regardless of how many times she watched it. While the eternal love Debbie’s family and friends have for her make it certain many tears will be shed, she would not want those tears to flow endlessly. Her daughters ask that she is remembered in happiness, and not in sorrow. Her daughters ask that her loved ones remember and replicate her laughter and smile to comfort them on their hardest days. Lastly, her daughters ask that her loved ones try to bear the unending mountain that was Debbie’s strength and live life knowing Debbie lived hers for the happiness of everyone she held in her heart. Details of the memorial service will follow. In lieu of flowers, Debbie’s daughters ask that donations be made in her honor to either the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (the “ASPCA”) or the Wounded Warriors Project.