Accomplished Equestrienne Debra Wilcox Dies December 27

Debra Wilcox, an accomplished equestrienne in the English and dressage disciplines, died on December 27, 2018, surrounded by her family. She was 58. Born on Long Island on June 24, 1960, she was a daughter of Catherine Lane Wilcox and David A. Wilcox Sr. She grew up on her family’s Oceanic Duck Farm on Brushy Neck Lane in Speonk. Her family remembers her as mischievous, playful, free spirited, strong willed, dedicated, loyal, and compassionate. Above all she was a dreamer, not the kind that gazes at the stars, but one who reaches those stars and grabs on, they said. Her lifelong love for horses blossomed at the age of four when she received “Lady,” her first pony, from her “Grandpa Lane.”

By the time she was 12 years old, she was riding and competing at local horse shows, as well as giving riding instructions. Taking a leave from high school, she embarked on her first of many world travels, spending nine months in California. She graduated from Westhampton Beach High School in 1978 and began a career training and showing horses. Always the adventurous spirit, in 1982 she set off again on a solo, one-year journey to Hawaii, Fiji, New Zealand and Australia, with no itinerary and just a suitcase and a backpack. Upon her return she jumped right back into her equine competition and training, with a vigor and drive for excellence.

In 1983 she converted an unused duck barn and an adjacent open field on Brushy Neck Lane for her first boarding stable and riding school venture. In 1989 she relocated and expanded her operation to the family’s Hillcrest Sport Stable at Riverhead. Ms. Wilcox was very good at setting goals and worked hard to achieve them to perfection. She set very high standards for herself and expected high standards from others.

In 2003, she established the Equus Equestrian Sports Foundation with a mission to provide scholarships to assist equestrians with great talent but limited finances in their efforts to pursue high-level competition. Over the course of her 28-year career, she became an accomplished equestrienne, trainer, and broker, importing horses from Europe and Canada and successfully training numerous horses in the jumping and dressage disciplines. She competed at many local and regional horse shows and received national recognition at such events as the Hampton Classic and Devon Horse Show and at the Prix St. George for international dressage. She trained in Holland, and also with John MacPherson in Canada and George and Monica Theodorescu in Germany, where she had spent the winter of 2005-2006. In June 2006, while riding and training a client’s horse, she tragically sustained a traumatic brain injury. She resided at the The Hamptons Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing in Southampton. Predeceased by her father, she is survived by her mother, Catherine; sisters Diane (Ken) Homan of Westhampton and Darlene Raynor of Riverhead; brothers David (Paula) Wilcox of Setauket and Dean (Cynthia) Wilcox of Westhampton; seven nieces and one nephew.

Funeral arrangements were under the direction of the Werner-Rothwell Funeral Home in Westhampton Beach. Visitation was on December 30, followed by interment on December 31 at the Eastport Cemetery in Eastport.