Debra A. Phillips Hunt

Debra A. Hunt was blessed with an abundance of leadership qualities. It would be accurate to say that this woman was an outstanding luminary and that her natural abilities served her well. She knew with certainty how she wanted to set priorities in all aspects of her life. She struck those who knew her as the kind of person who awoke in the morning with a clear sense of exactly what she expected from her day and how to set about accomplishing those goals. Debra was a woman who definitely liked order and was most comfortable with an organized and structured lifestyle. When this climate was absent, Debra would set about immediately to create it.

Her parents were William Abe and Betty Jean Phillips and she was raised in Lima, Ohio. Debra was brought up to be reasonable in her actions and was taught to use her intellect wisely. She was an honest and straightforward child, traits that reinforced her self-confidence. Even at a young age, Debra was credited with having a positive influence on those around her. She was extremely close with her father and people that knew them both knew how much alike they were to each other.

The positive atmosphere that Debra generated spread to her family. Debra was raised with three siblings, but only 1 that was close. She had a younger sister, Lisa. Debra served as a catalyst within the family. She often found herself in the role of providing fair solutions to those sibling disputes. In every family activity, Debra was able to demonstrate her uncommon logic and skill at building compromise.

Debra's enthusiasm for learning and the personal energy that enthusiasm generated led to her exhibiting leadership qualities early on in her childhood. She liked to see things executed properly and showed a skill for taking control of situations that were drifting out of control. At the same time, she was willing to experiment with different approaches as she worked a plan towards a solution. In her spare time she liked to read and spend time with her father. Debra's memorable achievements included top of her class performance throughout school.

When it came to academics and school, Debra's organizational skills reaped dividends. Debra was able to create a system for getting her class work done in a proper and timely manner. With a strong ability to analyze her schoolwork and assignments, she could apply a practical, common sense approach completing her studies. She showed a natural curiosity in the manner in which she tackled new types of problems and would regularly challenge her own reasoning ability in finding solutions. She graduated from Bath High School in 1984. She enjoyed some courses more than others and developed favorite classes and teachers. Her favorite class in high school was business (typing). In addition to graduating third from Bath High School, she also will be remembered as being the State Typing Champion of Ohio in 1983.

The work habits and approaches to studying that Debra utilized in high school also served her well in her college work. Debra always seemed on a quest for knowledge. She was able to generalize, summarize and compile information for her classes, employing a matter-of-fact approach. Debra was intuitive and mentally alert, seemed to crave the challenge of solving complex problems. Her favorite courses were related to business and accounting. While she always wanted to be a teacher by degree, she was a teacher and a leader to so many people throughout her life.

She believed that she should treat others in a fair manner, in the same way she wanted to be treated. Debra also showed a great deal of appreciation for the accomplishments of her friends. While growing up, some of her best friends were Karen and Dawn. Later in life, she became friends with a lot of people who had the opportunity to meet her.

Family and children were important to Debra, and she always put herself behind them. Debra was blessed with her husband, David, two children, one son, Steven Michael, and one daughter, Amy Michelle. The family was also blessed with two grandchildren, Chloe Ann-Marie and Caden Allen. Chloe brought so much happiness to mom in the 3 short years they spent together. Debra was able to keep order in the family by using the same efficient and straightforward methods with the family as she did at work. She was subtle and patient in her dealings when teaching the children right from wrong.

At work Debra was viewed as a natural leader. She could marshal all of the available resources, including personnel and materials, in order to meet virtually any objective. She was great at developing strategies and made maximum progress with little wasted effort. Debra was also adept at uncovering new and more efficient ways of getting things done. She was able to establish and meet objectives and schedules through long range planning and was always able to keep the big picture clearly in sight. Although Debra might have been described by some as an overachiever, she was without question a dedicated and diligent employee. Her primary occupation was business management. She was employed for almost her entire life starting at 16 working at a Dairy Stand and for her father at the family business but she started loving what she did once she became self-employed.

Not only did Debra find pleasure in pursuing her various hobbies, she also enjoyed the discovery and research involved in learning about them. Her skill at problem solving had a positive influence on these activities as well. Her favorite pursuits were her grandchildren, gardening, and reading.

Traveling, especially vacations, was another way for Debra to apply her exceptional leadership and organizational skills. She liked exploring different places but also enjoyed designing and scheduling the trips in advance. She had real talent for developing the perfect itineraries. Favorite vacations included Kentucky to see the hills, Universal Studio in Florida, and the cross country driving trip to see the states out west.

Debra was a lover of animals and cherished her pets. One of Debra's favorites was Boots, gray cat she rescued as a kitten. They were best friends for 5 years. Her family was rounded out by her two cats, Crazy and Fezz, and the family dog, Mounds.

Debra passed away on November 23, 2012 at Lima Memorial Hospital in the Emergency Room. She is survived by her husband David, her children Steven and Amy, her grandchildren Chloe and Caden, her mother Betty, and sister Lisa. Services were held at Siferd-Orians Funeral Home. Debra was laid to rest in Preston & Carman Cemetery in Alger, Ohio because she would have wanted to be close to her father.

Debra A. Hunt knew what she wanted from life and never hesitated in going after it. She could be characterized as a driven individual, someone who understood the importance of achievement. Debra was decisive and outspoken at times but was also positive and upbeat about most things. She was a leader, both intentionally and sometimes by default. If she saw that something needed to be done, she was always ready to step up and actualize, organize and implement a plan. Her family and especially grandchildren were her life. Mom and Chloe were inseparable from day 1.

She loved spending time with her family above anything else in life and will be deeply missed.

Letter Read at Mom’s Funeral

Good Afternoon and Welcome

One week ago today I lost the greatest person in my life…My mother Deb Hunt. Mom and I were very close throughout her life and she was the closest person to me. I always loved hearing her stories, memories of gramps and other life lessons and tried to make my decisions based on what I thought would make her happy. I still believe she left us too early and there was so much more time we needed to spend together and lessons she had to teach. Today is not about being sad, it’s about celebrating her life.

Growing up, mom was always there for our family and she always put herself last. She was an awesome mother who seemed to be always prepared for whatever items came her way. She was very creative developing games, creating great party favors and gift bags when she was a room mother. She stayed up almost every night reading us books, working on homework and our class projects because she wanted the best for Amy and me. I had mom read me “Danny the dinosaur” and “The Little Engine That Could” so much when I was younger that years later we joked about how she still knew them word for word. Whenever we had a function going on (be it school or sports related) she was always at our events to support us. I always wondered how she did everything with us at school, after school, and worked a full time job…I still believe she might be superwoman.

As I prepared for college, mom spent countless days with me researching schools and looking at potential options. When we viewed Ohio Northern it was a great fit because the Engineering college was excellent and it was close to home. During college, I went home almost every weekend. I always had some excuse but it all boiled down to spending time at home with the family. Mom and I almost always sat down on Saturdays to watch “America’s Most Wanted”. It wasn’t about the show, it was a time we could sit down and catch up with each other. Even during the week, I would call home each night to check up with Mom and Dad about how things were going and tell them how classes were going. Mom would always help inspire me to keep going and always trying to do my best. The phone calls were my opportunity to explain the troubles and issues I was having and every time she had something positive and inspiring to say. She was always able to inspire me to do my best and shoot for the stars. I can’t tell you the number of times I run the “Little Engine that could” story through my mind even to this day. I still remember how proud mom was the day of my college graduation.

Mom battled kidney disease her entire life and she had some really bad surgeries over the years. I can remember when I was young there were a few surgeries that could had taken mom from us at that time. Her surgeries scarred me to the point I never wanted to leave her side but she always was worried about us being inconvenienced by her being in the hospital and not herself. She was a fighter in life and always managed to pull through each surgery until she was fortunate enough to meet Dr. Lingeman. He was the blessed soul our family needed to meet and he was able to allow mom’s last 8 months of her life to be kidney stone free (which hadn’t occurred for that long of a stretch in over 20 years) over the course of his few years of work with her. It was inspiring to see how strong she was even during her battle with kidney disease.

Mom always said her worst day in life was when Grandpa Phillips died. He passed away when I was 6 and I still remember how much it affected mom. Also, I do remember how much of a stronger person it made her as we worked through the grieving process. She was already an amazingly strong willed person with an incredible work ethic but she picked up the fire gramps possessed in life after he passed (Mom was definitely cut from the same mold as Grandpa Phillips). There was nothing in the world mom couldn’t do. She was never afraid to tackle a new project or take on a new job. She was the leader of our family and such a wonderful wife, mother, and grandmother. We now, as a family, have the task of picking up the pieces and moving forward. It won’t be easy and there will be tears shed along the way, but we cannot let her down. We must continue to push forward, as a family, and do our best as she taught us.

The last few years of her life were spent loving her grandchildren. Chloe and mom were inseparable since she was born. Mom always said Chloe could make her feel better any day of the week and always brought a smile to her face. We owe it to Chloe and Caden to help raise mom’s grandchildren to know how great of a woman she truly was in life. We have to show them the love and compassion mom had for her family and inspire them to be the best they can be to honor her legacy.

You broke my heart when you passed away Mom and left a void in my chest but I know you’re in a better place now. We, as a family, will do our best to honor your legacy until we someday have the opportunity to join you once again.

I Love You Mom and Thank You for Everything

Your Son, Steve

* * * * * * * * * *

Debra A. Hunt, 46, of Lima, died at 6:17 a.m., Friday, November 23, 2012, in the emergency room of Lima Memorial Health Systems. She was born June 13, 1966, in Lima, to William Abe & Betty (Beverly) Phillips. Her father preceded her in death and her mother survives in Cairo. On Jan 5, 1985, she married David B. Hunt who survives in Lima.

Mrs. Hunt had been a supervisor for the Department of Job & Family Services. She then made a career change and chose to stay home and raise her children and adore her grandchildren. She was a 1984 graduate of Bath High School and Apollo Career Center. She enjoyed gardening and arts and crafts, but, mostly loved spending time with her grandchildren.

Also surviving are two children: Steven Michael Hunt and Amy Michelle Hunt both of Lima; two grandchildren: Chloe Ann-Marie Burnett and Caden Allen Burnett; and a sister, Lisa Phillips Curl of Cairo.

Funeral services will begin at Noon, Friday, at Siferd-Orians Funeral Home, with Rev. Gerbert Darlington officiating. Burial will follow in Preston Cemetery, Alger.

Visitation will be on Thursday, from 2-4, and 6-8 p.m. at the funeral home.

Memorial contributions may be made to International Kidney Stone Institute, 1801 North Senate Blvd., Suite 220, Indianapolis, IN 46202.

Condolences may be expressed at www.siferd-oriansfuneralhome.com