Deborah Bowen Kelly

Deborah Kelly of Fullerton passed away on May 6 after a lifetime of undeserved hardship and a long struggle with myotonic muscular dystrophy.  She made that most difficult of decisions for herself, and left peacefully after being showered with love by her family. Debbie was born on April 12, 1960, in Milton, Florida, while her father William, a Navy pilot, was stationed there.  The second of four children to William and Harriet (“Sue”) Kelly, Debbie spent her youth as a military brat moving across the Eastern Seaboard.  She had fond memories of a large extended family, with holidays spent in Greenwich, Connecticut among dozens of cousins, weeping willow trees, and a friendly ghost in the attic.  She was never so happy as in the idle days of her youth, able to ride horses and run barefoot through the grass.  She loved cats and dolls, two fixtures of her life. In 1971, the family moved west, to Fullerton, and there they would stay.  School was difficult for Debbie, as she struggled all her life with dyslexia, and she was often teased.  Yet she persisted, making friends in the marching band and graduating from Fullerton Union High School in five years with the help of patient teachers and determined parents. Debbie gave birth to her only child, her son Brian, in 1985.  A single mom with limited prospects, Debbie nevertheless gave her son a happy and loving childhood, despite the myriad financial challenges they faced.  She was helped in this effort, as always, by her parents, who unconditionally loved and supported her.  Her son would grow to be an attorney and she always let him know how proud she was of him. Debbie loved children and wanted to spend her life working with them as a preschool teacher, which she did, for a time.  Yet this simple dream was denied her because, in 1992, she, her father, and her two younger brothers were diagnosed with myotonic muscular dystrophy.  That terrible wasting disease would claim each of them well before their time, with Debbie the last to succumb to its horrible ravages. For the last six years of her life, Debbie could not walk or care for herself; she was supported by her son, mother, and longtime partner Anthony Cartolano.  Yet despite this, despite circumstances that would make most give up, she not only endured but found joy and happiness in the simple pleasures afforded her.  Her life was a lesson in finding delight in the face of disappointment. Debbie is survived by her sister Patricia; sister-in-law Sherri; son Brian; daughter-in-law Vivianne; and granddaughter Robin.  Her life will be celebrated at 10 a.m. on May 18 at St. Juliana’s Church in Fullerton.  All are welcome to attend.  In lieu of flowers, please donate to the Muscular Dystrophy Association.Happy Mother’s Day, Mom.  I love and miss you so much – Brian