Born in North Carolina, Debbie greeted the world on August 15, 1951, a summer baby through and through. She spent her childhood years in Seattle, Washington with her mom and dad, Mike and Jerri Fredin; sister, Linda; and a constant string of beloved cats. Debbie greeted life with enthusiasm. She loved running around the city with friends, camping adventures with her family where she discovered a love of waterskiing, and taking on new ventures. In high school she was active in the International Relations Committee and served as the committee chair in her senior year in addition to hosting foreign exchange students in her home. She served as a Sentry in the service club and played clarinet in both the marching band and the All City High School band. In her senior year she was recognized as a Nathan Hale Patriot, a service honor awarded to only a handful of students.
From her earliest years, Debbie wanted to become a nurse. During high school Debbie volunteered as a Candy Striper at Northwest Hospital. After graduating from high school, she attended Shoreline Community College completing her AA and receiving her RN certification.
Debbie took time for international travel, including 2 months in Finland and Sweden and a year spent in Mexico City working as a nurse and honing her Spanish and love of spicy food. Once back home, she began her nursing career as an RN starting at Virginia Mason Medical Center and then moving to Swedish Hospital. In the hospital, one of her standout patients had a special request: he wanted her to meet his brother. Debbie met Dick; they were married August 11, 1979.
They moved to Everett where they raised two daughters, Heather and Heidi. Debbie was a nurse at Evergreen Hospital and became a member of North Creek Presbyterian Church where she maintained an avid faith in Jesus, her Lord and Savior. She loved her cats, her coffee, and bookstores. She cheerfully welcomed the Christmas season each year and threw the door open to beloved summers with camping, swimming, bike riding, any hike that ended in a waterfall, and any trip that took her to the beach. In 1998 Debbie achieved her long-time goal, earning her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Washington. She could often be found sporting the UW purple in the years after, a proud Husky. Through it all Debbie continued to love life, she opened her arms to her friends, and was well known for being the one that would wrap you in a hug and fill the room with deep laughter.
In her later years, Debbie welcomed two sons-in-laws, John and Brad; and five grandchildren, Keith, Seth, Felicity, Daphne, and Lydia into the family. She survived Dick’s passing from cancer and walked a long path of her own with early onset dementia. We will remember her for her strength, her joy, her smile, her laughter and her love which she never lost sight of in her final years. Debbie’s message throughout dementia was always the same, “I love you.” These words were repeated whenever she could say them right into her last hours. It was the message she wanted us to remember. She even added to it once, in a moment of fleeting clarity, when she pulled her daughter into a hug and spoke into her ear, “I love you more than you know.” Right back atcha. Debbie, Mom, Grandma- We love you more than you know.
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