FORT WORTH – Friends and members of the Texas Girls' Choir on Monday mourned the loss of Debra "Debi" Weir, the choir's executive director, who died Saturday after a rollover accident on Interstate 30 in Fort Worth.
"Our hearts are broken, but we know that her profound influence on our organization is eternal, and we will continue this legacy in her honor," says a message on the Texas Girls' Choir website.
Weir, 63, was pronounced dead at John Peter Smith Hospital Saturday, according to the Tarrant County medical examiner's website. She was driving to the choir building for their annual Christmas party when the accident occurred.
"We will remember her as one who loved our Texas Girls' Choir with all her heart, mind, body and soul," said Layne Trent, acting executive director and a close friend of Weir's. "We will remember her tenacity and her fierce stubborn desire for excellence and sheer perfection. She believed we could change the world if we tried hard enough."
Weir was one of the choir's original 16 members, Trent said. She sang and traveled with the choir for seven or eight years. After graduating from Texas Wesleyan University, Weir helped founder and director Shirley Carter during her spare time.
"She made the choir an irreplaceable piece of her world — even as a child," Trent said.
She devoted much her life to the needs of the organization, Trent said. In 1980, she became the administrative assistant — a role she had for 22 years. In 2002, she stepped in as executive director after Carter passed away.
Tami Owsley with the Texas Girls Choir said Weir worked "about 20 hours a day."
"She lived and breathed our mission of 'Developing little girls' lives through excellence in music,'" Owsley said. "She was blessed with a life well-lived."
Weir's philosophy was to perform at any time possible, Trent said. The choir often performed at nursing homes during the holidays.
"She taught the girls that sharing the music with others was their responsibility as well as something they would receive benefits from," Trent said. "She knew that music was a special gift."
Click here to read this story in its original home with our content partners at the Star-Telegram.
