Debbie Sockwell Tarbox

In Loving Memory of Debbie Sockwell Tarbox

March 27, 1962 – September 1, 2026 

 

Debbie was the kind of person who made people feel loved.

She was a devoted wife, a fiercely loving mother, a proud grandmother, a daughter, sister, aunt, teacher, and friend. But to those who knew her best, Debbie was simply the person you could count on, who believed in you, encouraged you, worried about you, celebrated you, and somehow always made you feel special.

Debbie was born in Mobile, Alabama, on March 27, 1962, to Jim and Joyce Sockwell. She graduated from Murphy High School, where she played flute in the band, in 1980. During high school, she was president of the local chapter of Delta Beta Sigma and later served on the National Board. She met her high school sweetheart, George, in 1978 at Dauphin Way United Methodist in Mobile, where they were both in the church choir. Debbie was a Pi Beta Phi at the University of Alabama and graduated in May of 1984. She and George were married one week after their college graduation and spent the next 42 years building a life together. Their greatest accomplishment was the family they built.

Debbie and George raised four boys: twins James and Travis, followed by Justin and Logan. Raising four boys was never a quiet endeavor, but Debbie embraced every part of it. She was there for the ballgames, the school events, the celebrations, and all the ordinary moments in between. She was their biggest cheerleader and their fiercest advocate, and her boys never doubted that their mother believed in them.

Debbie’s love did not stop with her own children. She had a remarkable gift for making other people’s children feel like they mattered. That gift became the foundation of a 20-year career teaching middle school English at Bumpus Middle School, Charles Henderson Middle School, and Simmons Middle School, as well as achieving her Master’s in Education. She loved teaching, but more than that, she loved her students and saw potential in children who sometimes struggled to see it in themselves. Teaching was never just a job to Debbie, but another way she loved people.

Debbie’s faith was the foundation of her life. She and George became charter members of Discovery United Methodist Church in 1993, when the church was still meeting at the Hoover Met, and they remained devoted members until the church closed in 2025.

Discovery was much more than a church to Debbie. It was a community of people she loved and a place where she spent countless hours serving others. She served as an assistant children’s choir leader and participated in numerous church ministries and efforts. She was especially proud of her service as chair of the building committee that helped bring the church’s home on Stadium Trace to life. But Debbie treasured the friendships she made at Discovery the most, especially the members of the Empty Nesters small group she and George gathered with regularly. Those friendships became an important part of their lives, filled with laughter, meals, conversations, shared experiences, and memories that she cherished.

Debbie loved the Atlanta Braves and Alabama football. She rarely missed a game on television, and anyone who knew her knew that a Braves game or Alabama game was not something to interrupt lightly.

But above all else, Debbie loved her family. As their “DebDeb,” she cherished her grandchildren, Henry, Mary Helen, Emma, and Charles (Chip), and watching them grow brought her tremendous joy. She loved her nieces and nephews and took genuine interest in their lives. She loved her parents and her sisters, and the family they shared. And she loved George—the boy she met in high school, the man she married, and the partner with whom she spent her life raising their family.

Debbie’s life was not defined by one great accomplishment. It was defined by thousands of small acts of love. It was a phone call to check on someone. A word of encouragement when somebody needed it. A meal shared with friends. A student’s paper covered in comments because she knew the student could do better. A Braves game on television. An Alabama Saturday. A family gathering. A grandchild’s smile. Her greatest legacy is the people she leaves behind who were fortunate enough to be loved by her.

Debbie is survived by her husband, George; her parents, Jim and Joyce Sockwell; her sons, James (Mallorie), Travis (Amy), Justin (Sarah), and Logan (Cassie); her grandchildren, Henry, Mary Helen, Emma, and Charles; her sisters, Leslie Louden and Janet Turner (Perry); and her nephew and nieces, Thomas Louden, Emily Louden, Sarah Turner, Abby Turner, and Mollie Turner.

We will miss her more than words can say, and we will love her for the rest of our lives.

Visitation and a memorial service will be held at The Church at Cahaba Bend on Saturday, September 12, 2026. Visitation 10:30am-12:00pm. Service 12:00pm-1:00pm.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Hoover City Schools Foundation in Debbie’s memory. You can do so online at https://www.hoovercsf.org/ or mail a check to 2810 Metropolitan Way, Hoover, AL 35243.