I love you Nana, thank you for everything. ❤️

Oh momma. I don’t know where to even begin. You were my biggest fan. You were the one that I always went to when I had something to share. You were always so proud of me, even when I was falling short in life. You supported me, lifted me up and was the inspiration. You would offer opinion but loved unconditionally.
I am a strong independent woman because of you. You taught me to love, to accept a partner in life to walk beside you, not in front of you or behind you. Play hard, work hard. To just be good. To give back. To be humble. Lord knows you could be stubborn, but that was usually with passion because you were fighting for your love of what was right and your love of your family. My last message from you was, call me I have a story for you. I wish I knew what that story was. I remember you being my first best friend who shared my first mud pies, my first make-believe fast-food restaurant where I would order high fries and hangaburgers talking to the fridge. The puppy dog you sewed his ear on a hundred times. The many times you had to hear me say Belly Bah as I showed off my belly button. The time you put me in the back of a police car to cross the freeway while you and my aunt shaved your legs in the bathroom, and we bought news clothes because some guy stole our car battery, waiting for dad to come get us and take us out. For playing who can be the stillest and make no movement the longest as the rattlesnake was about to attack. To driving for hours as I learned to water ski on my dad’s skis. To hosting parties at our house, including dressing us up in TP and bandages playing war. Or making me sit in a laundry basket for hours and jumping out to scare people at a Halloween party. To being my softball coach. To allowing all the kids hang out at our house, making cocoa and drying clothes on snow days. to setting up the slip and slide, to having sleep overs and endless plays in the fort house. To never missing a game or concert I played in. To bandaging me up as I came back to camp with my dirt bike handlebars crooked and bent. To giving me all the beef jerky while we hiked for miles deer hunting. Not so happy about the bunny rabbit you allowed me to have that ate all the fingers off my baby dolls. Or the snake that we found, and you took in and gave all the kids in the neighborhood an opportunity to make money by collecting salamanders etc. to feed it. For taking calls at work from friends saying we are out of Oreos and Diet Coke. I would give anything to hear one more time “If I was a dog I would say bow wow- If you were a kitten, I would say meow. But I am not a dog and you’re not a kitten, so instead… Let’s do a little kissing.” Thank you, Mom! Thank you for everything you gave me, taught me and left behind. I will see you eventually. I know you rode up to heaven on the wings of an angel. I know you are mine!

Sweetheart, I miss you more than words can ever express. My only consolation is in knowing that you knew that the extent of my love for you was and will always be endless. In the last few months you noticeably went out of your way almost daily to make sure to tell me how much you appreciated and loved me. Oh, to hold you again and tell you again and again that you were my life… The air I breathed. And now I have to remind myself everyday to just breathe.
Oddly, many, maybe most, of the individuals who will leaving their memories of Deborah here actually knew her much longer than I did. We only met 26 years ago, far too short of a time. Deborah and I met at work where I was managing and she was a temporary consultant with an outside company. Everyday for a couple of months she would stop by my desk which happened to be where all of the employees from her firm would come to sign in and out each day. After weeks of “good mornings”, “Have a nice day”, and “how was your weekend”… she stopped by and said, “Do you know any good places in the area to bass fish? My father would never forgive me and my grandfather would rollover in his grave if i came to Florida and didn’t catch a bass.” I looked at her in surprise (to dumb to realize she was flirting) and told her a couple of good fishing spots in the area. That evening I told my brother that this lady at work had asked where some good bass fishing spots were. His first response was “Did you ask her out!!!”. I said no and he said “Why not??”. So the next afternoon I did. I may have been slow but I wasn’t stupid. A few dinners and movies and trips to the beach and I was beyond hooked… Remember, she was a fisher-woman. In short, my company closed that location, we went on the road traveling to countless projects with the company she was already with and became inseparable. I tell everyone that she swooped into town and kidnapped me… but it was the sweetest captivity I ever could have imagined. Everyone of her family members started with the attitude towards me of “We’ll be nice to him but we don’t have to like him!”. But before I knew it they had welcomed me into their loving family as if I had always been there. As husband and wife, we traveled together, worked together, and lived life to the fullest we could. We had our ups, downs, ins and outs like everyone does but year after year my love only grew stronger and more concrete.
Deborah, My Love, you taught me so much about the joy, the adventure and about love of life. It hurts unimaginably to suddenly be without you in my arms. I wasn’t ready… wasn’t prepared. But if you didn’t teach me anything else you taught me that not only do you take the love with you when you go… at the same time you leave the love behind to forever live in the hearts of those that you touched in this life. The love that you have left for me, Deborah, will forever fill my world, my heart and my soul. Adore you always, Beauty.

Our sweet angel, I remember first getting to know you at one of your Poker runs. So many fun memories! Encouraging me to do crafts, when I really am not a crafty person. You always reassured me and even complemented’s what I made.

I proudly hang on my walls the thoughtful gifts you made for me.
You always had a way of letting me know that I was in your thoughts. I hope you know you were always in mine, and always will be. I’m going to miss your beautiful smile.

Best of all, I got to call you Mom.

P.S. I still have not been able to decode your deviled egg recipe. But I will always smile when I attempt to make them.

“I love you Nana, oh yes I do.
I love you Nana, oh yes I do.
Whenever you’re not with me, I’m blue.
Oh Nana, I love you!” 🎶
I have alot of great memories with my Nana, but the one that always comes to mind is when we took the paddle boat out on the lake to go fishing. I casted out my line with my little bobber floating in the water and then we just talked and talked, not paying attention to the bobber or pole only then to realize the bobber was gone. I started to reel in my line and we thought we had caught the biggest fish ever. Turns out I had caught a Christmas tree that my Aunt Kay and Uncle Derrick threw into the lake to give little fish homes.
Rest easy and maybe one day we can finally scuba dive and explore the beautiful seas together in the after life. Ian and I love you very much and will be greatly missed!

I will miss you Aunt Debbie- even though I had not seen you in years and years, it was wonderful when we connected on Facebook. I remember so well when you and Keimi and Uncle Jimmy lived next door to us in Baldwin Park. I have glimpses of memory of being the flower girl in your wedding. I do remember being so jealous of the new baby you brought home and got mad when you called HER “ sugar plum “…for that is what you called ME. I remember visiting you in Oroville and Bothel. You seemed exotic to me because you could cook duck. I pray that your family will feel God’s peace and comfort. We’ll all be together again someday. This is a fact! Love You, your niece Jamie.

I am so very sorry to hear this! Lots of memories with your mom and dad Keimi. Our parents were such good friends. All the four wheeling and camping memories! I always tell the story when we were camping and your parents got me up early to go fishing with them. We were catching so many fish it was amazing and we couldn’t understand why no one else was fishing on the lake. Well come to find out it wasn’t fishing season…oops. They almost got in lots of trouble but all ended well and now a good story to tell!
Our moms are now up in heaven having the greatest time together I am sure! ❤️

My dear Family and Friends my life will never be the same. Deborah was my baby sister, my best friend, my soul-mate. When we were little girls we would play house together. She was always a little actress. She would cry and mom would come to see what was wrong. Debbie would say “we were just playing”. Mom would get her all dressed up in pretty clothes to go to school. She would go out and play games on the playground and come home with torn slips. I would tell someone that I was four years older than she was and she would say No you are three years nine months and twenty two days older. I would give anything to have an extra four years with her now. When she had her tonsils out she was up the next day running around singing (Davey Crockett). When I had mine out I stayed in bed and didn’t talk for days. We loved to cook together, plan fancy parties. She was always full of love and there when you needed her help or just a big hug. My sweet little sister give Mom & Dad some of those hugs. Save some of the hugs for me. I’ll be there to get them before you know it.