Deb Paxton, 58, a former admissions counselor who worked most recently in technical services at Riley-Hickingbotham Library, died Sept. 12 after a battle with cancer. Paxton was a 2002 graduate of Ouachita.
While a student at Ouachita, Paxton was a member of the Ouachita Singers. She was a past member of the Arkansas Symphony Chorus and Chamber Singers. She was also an active member of Third Street Baptist Church where she sang in the choir and performed in her church’s Passion Play for 19 years.
Dr. Deborah Root, professor and chair of communications, was one of Paxton’s professors.
“I first met Deb when she was a student in my Intro to Mass Comm class. We were close in age, so we had a lot in common and I cherished her friendship through the years,” Root said. “I admired her for her commitment to earn her degree, and for the way she embraced the Ouachita experience even though she was a non-traditional student. Her fellow students admired her, respected her and embraced her as one of their own.
“Whether she was performing on stage or carrying on a conversation with a student or colleague, her smile and energy were contagious. She brightened everyone’s day.”
Paxton’s library co-workers described her as having an “infectuous smile.”
“Deb’s uniqueness seems to haunt us, though in a pleasant way,” said Dr. Ray Granade, director of library services. “We speak of her on occasion, and she would be pleased to know that we always do so with a smile, with gratitude for the time we spent together, and with the knowledge that her heart touched others just as it did us.”
Paxton is survived by her husband of 36 years, Ray Paxton. Visitation is tomorrow night 6-8 p.m. at Ruggles-Wilcox Funeral Home in Arkadelphia. Funeral services will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at Third Street Baptist Church.
