Debra Toll-Cox

Debra Lea (Parsons) Toll-Cox, age 61, of Redding was surrounded by those who love her as she went to be with the Lord on January 13, 2022. Debra was born on May 13, 1960 in Redding, California to Leta Parsons Cox and Vernon Parsons. She graduated from Central Valley High School in 1977, then she traveled to Columbia Christian College, Portland, OR. and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Music Education. Then she began her Masters in Music Education at the University of Portland in Portland, OR. graduating with the degree in 1989.

She learned piano at an early age from her grandma Parsons. She loved teaching others in both private lessons and the classroom. She was a substitute teacher for the Portland Public School District, a music teacher for the Harold Oliver Elementary School, Portland, OR. and taught music and other subjects as needed for Shasta County Schools in Redding, CA. She performed with poetry and has been published in many poetry books. She has received many awards including the Editors Choice Award for Outstanding Achievement in Poetry, National Library of Poetry 1998.

Debra is survived by her mother, Leta Cox of Redding, CA, and her sister Leslie Parsons and brother-in-law Ron Schoen of Santa Rosa, CA. She is preceded in death by her Adoptive father, Gary L. Cox of Redding, grandparents Eagleman and Parsons.

The family would like to thank Mercy Medical Center Redding Hospice for their care, Dr. Douglas McMullin, Dr. Lupercio, and many others for their excellent care while she suffered from Pulmonary Fibrosis for many years.