Obituary
Deborah Jean Dryden, 69, of Orlando, Florida, passed peacefully into the arms of her Savior on November 8, 2025,
after a courageous 13-year battle with breast cancer.
Debbie was born October 30, 1956, in Chicago, Illinois, to Jean Rivers Michnick and Jerome Ivan Michnick. At the age of three, she moved with her mother to Miami, Florida, where her mother later married Bert Griffith, who lovingly adopted Debbie as his own. She grew up in Gainesville and Tampa, Florida, alongside her sister Sheri Commons. Debbie graduated from Hillsborough High School and went on to earn her certification in Nuclear Medicine Technology from Hillsborough Community College.
On December 5, 1980, Debbie married the love of her life, Marc Dryden, and together they built a beautiful family and life filled with faith and adventure. The couple moved to Houston, Texas, where Debbie worked as a Nuclear Medicine Technologist and where they welcomed three sons Corbin Greer, James Thomas, and Zachary John. In 1991, the family moved to Orlando, Florida, where Debbie dedicated herself to homeschooling her boys and nurturing their education and faith. She spent her final years as a small business owner and entrepreneur doing something she loved, designing storage spaces for her clients, finding joy and purpose in serving others through her creativity and care.
A devoted wife, mother, and grandmother, Debbie’s greatest joy came from her family. She loved traveling, spending time at any beach, and watching her sons play sports and later attend the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis. She was endlessly proud of her family and cherished her daughters-in-law Abi, Kaitlin, and Caitlin who became like daughters to her. Debbie adored her ten grandchildren Ann Greer, Griff, Gill, Jack, Lissy, Eleanor, Graham, Quinn, Charles, and Reid and never missed an opportunity to share stories and photos of them.
Debbie was a member of First Baptist Sweetwater Church for 34 years, working with children, youth, in the choir and serving the body with a smile and grace. This time included, 25 years of fellowship with a phenomenal bible study group of friends, doing life.
She is survived by her loving husband of 45 years, Marc; her mother, Jean Griffith; her sister, Sheri Commons; her three sons and their wives, Corbin and Abi, James and Kaitlin, and Zachary and Caitlin; and her ten grandchildren.
A celebration of life will be held on Nov. 21st at 2:00 PM,
with visitation starting at 1:00PM at First Baptist Sweetwater,
3800 Wekiva Springs Rd,
Longwood, FL 32779.
Services are also available to view at https://bit.ly/ddryden.
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