Debra Cletcher

Debra Lynn Cletcher, daughter of Darrel and Bonnie Ryser was born January 11, 1968 in Marysville, KS.  She departed this life on February 3, 2023 after a long battle with kidney failure.  Debra was raised in Washington, KS and graduated from Washington High School in 1986.

She studied Psychology at Emporia State University for one year but told her mom it was “too boring” and decided to pursue other endeavors.  She moved to Boston and worked for a family as their nanny.  Even though she enjoyed this, she didn’t really enjoy the lifestyle there as much as the Midwest.  After about a year, she decided it was time to move back to this area.

Debra met her husband Rodger Cletcher in 1990 where they bowled at Ward Parkway Lanes.  He was waiting for his food and she came up and poked him in the side.  From that point on, they were together.  They were married at the County Courthouse on August 8, 1991 and celebrated their 31st Wedding Anniversary last summer.  Early in their marriage, Deb was working as a Travel Agent.  This gave them opportunities to travel to different locations, including a trip to Mexico.

Debra loved baseball, football, and NASCAR racing.  She also enjoyed fishing, deer hunting, and floating on the river.  She loved dogs, especially Dobermans... they were her babies.  She and Rodger never had children together but they have raised 5 Dobermans over the years.

She had now been working for a few years for Multi Service Company but when the new Walmart Supercenter opened close to their house, she went to work for them.  She chose to work the night shift for Walmart and did so for nearly 20 years.  One of her coworkers said that Debra was the hardest worker she had ever known.  She was always amazed at how dedicated and attentive Debra was to her job.  She also said Debra would always take the initiative to correct things she noticed on the floor without ever being asked to do so and she took great pride in her work.

Debra was a wonderful cook and made several delicious meals from scratch.  She was also very frugal… always looking for ways to ‘repurpose’ items.

Those closest to Debra knew she was also very independent.  This was especially evidenced after she developed kidney disease about 5 years ago.  Debra continued to work full time and was also self-administering her 8-hour daily dialysis treatments.

She began to accept that sometimes she would need help, especially when Rodger had to go out of town to help his dad.  She insisted that he go … it was so important to her that he help his dad due to his health issues and the passing of his wife in 2021.  If she needed help when Rodger was gone, she would sometimes ask family, but many times she reached out to neighbors.  Debra and Rodger’s wonderful neighbors were always willing to help however possible.  The children would also sometimes leave crafts they had made for Deb on the porch.  Many times they would ask her if they could pray for her.

Debra was never a religious person, but after an unexpected health scare in March 2022, she told Rodger that she had begun praying to God.  Debra received her complete healing on February 3rd with Rodger by her side … we look forward to our joyous reunion some day!

She is survived by husband Rodger Cletcher of Kansas City, MO, her parents Darrel and Bonnie Ryser of Mulvane, KS, sister Lisa Wolfe (Larry) of Derby, KS, sister Jill Beard of Wichita, KS, 3 nieces, 1 nephew, and several other family members.

Memorial Service – 02/18/2023

Visitation 01:00 – 01:30 pm; Service 01:30 – 02:30 pm

Church of the Four Corners, 14300 E US Highway 40, Kansas City, MO  64136