Deborah Leigh Gray Jekkals, 61, of Manchester, CT lost her fight with Multiple Myeloma on Tuesday August 23rd. Born in Winston-Salem, NC she was the daughter of the late Leslie Stewart and Mary Lou (Moser) Gray. Deborah was a trained opera singer who studied at North Carolina School of the Arts, Eastman School of Music, and Manhattan School of Music. Her creativity later found an outlet as co-owner of Atria Architectural Gallery in Hartford, CT and afterward as an independent architectural designer. She was also a dedicated volunteer with the Hospice program for the Visiting Nurses Association of Connecticut for many years. Deborah was predeceased by her husband Igo Jekkals. She is survived by her younger sister Dana Gray and her husband Steve Chavez of Reno, NV; her daughter Heather (Miller) and her husband Allan Ram of Durham, CT and grandchildren Jocelyn, Noah and Dylan; her daughter Kristen Noelle (Miller) and her husband Cornell Hatcher II of Manchester, CT and grandchildren Taylor Allen, Ezekiel and Zadie; her stepdaughter Dawn (Jekkals) and her husband Scott Van Dyke of Del Mar, CA, and her children Lauren and Daniel Salas, and her stepson Brian Jekkals and his wife Leigh of Encinitas, CA. A memorial service will be held at 5 pm TODAY at the John F. Tierney Funeral Home 219 West Center St. Manchester, CT. In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made to the Hospice Program for the VNA of Connecticut 8 Keynote Drive Vernon, CT 06066. For online condolences please visit www.tierneyfuneralhome.com.