Debra A. Heyde

On November 27, 1966, she married Paul Noble Heyde. They raised one son, Keenan, and two daughters, Sybil and Rachel.

Debbie was preceded in death by her mother, Jeanne. She is survived by her husband, Paul, her three children, Keenan, Sybil and Rachel, her daughter-in-law, Diana, son-in-law Eric, her sister, Shelly, father, Leon, and grandkids Gweneth, Duncan, Fred and Josephine.

With the formalities out of the way, let’s take some time to really celebrate who Debbie was to her friends and family. She was one of the kindest, most generous people you would ever hope to meet. She would make friends with strangers and wasn’t afraid to talk to random people at random times (much to the discomfort of her kids).

She loved dogs and had a tendency to adopt the most high maintenance and needy pups from the shelter. Those broken dogs found a loving forever home with Paul and Debbie. It is not a stretch to say those dogs were, in some way, very challenging. Ask the family for more details.

Debbie was generous with friends and family and would frequently shop QVC to share her discoveries with others. Keenan and his family would frequently receive unannounced packages several times a year. Debbie was known to sign people up for trail mix of the month clubs. Keenan has not been able to eat all of the trail mix he received.

As most of you know, Debbie was a fighter and a survivor. The last 16 years of her life saw her battle ovarian cancer 3 times, breast cancer and liver cancer. Rather than being defined as someone who had cancer, Debbie chose to embrace survivorship. She packed a lifetime of living into her courageous battle against her nemesis. She carried angel tokens with her to share with her fellow cancer fighters, their families, and, yes, random people she would meet when she was out and about. And, by her side, providing support and love, was Paul.

It's not possible to summarize such an amazing person’s life in a condensed “Readers Digest” manner without leaving out other milestones and events. It is hoped whoever reads this humble obituary will have a sense of who Debbie was. Her legacy is lasting and she is now enjoying her eternal rest.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital.

https://fundraising.stjude.org/site/TR/GiftFunds/GiftFunds?px=6756312&pg=personal&fr_id=39300