Debra Lynne Boratto

Debra Lynne (McLeod) Boratto, 49, died unexpectedly on Friday, December 30, 2011, at her home in Denver, Colorado. She was born on April 7, 1962, in Battle Creek, Michigan to Gordon and Julia (Torres) McLeod. She attended St. Joseph Elementary and St. Joseph Middle School before graduating from Lakeview High School in 1980, where she was on the Pom Pom Squad. Debbie led an interesting life, living in many different locales and pursuing a variety of careers. After High School, she was a bookkeeper in Kalamazoo, Michigan, before moving to Denver, Colorado, to be near her sister Liz. She was married to Dan Baratto from 1989 to 2001. She married on the grounds of his parent’s estate in Pasadena, California. During their eleven year marriage, they lived in Pleasanton and San Francisco, California. Early on, Debbie worked as a certified dental assistant. Later, while working as a bookkeeper in the food service department of a large company, she realized she would rather help the food service personnel “put lunch on the table” (as she called it) than do her bookkeeping. She often said working together as a team to get everything ready on time was ”just like pulling off opening night in the theater”. She loved the sense of satisfaction she derived from doing that. She was happiest when working with others to fulfill a purpose. As a newly single woman, Debbie lived in Phoenix, Arizona and Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, before moving back to Battle Creek, Michigan where she enjoyed working for Zucca;s Catering at the Beckley Road Felpausch Food Center. However, her biggest professional challenge (one she always met) came when she was hired to cook for Warren Springs, California, Narc-Anon facility, where she alone was responsible for feeding 85 people three meals per day, seven days per week for four years. In 2007, she moved back to Denver, where she was a successful caterer and, more recently, worked as a server for T,G.I. Friday’s. She was very happy at Friday’s, where she enjoyed a close relationship with her co-workers. Debbie was also a very creative, accomplished cook in her personal life. She was known for her homemade egg noodles and pasta. She also received accolades when she catered both the rehearsal dinner and reception for her niece, Lindsay (Gardner) Lackey’s wedding in 2007. Debbie was preceded in death by her paternal parents, Wilson and Betty McLeod, and maternal grandfather, Carl Torres, all of Battle Creek, Michigan. She is survived by her maternal grandmother, Ruth Torres of Battle Creek, Michigan; her father Gordon McLeod of Athens, Michigan; her mother Julia (Charles) Baker of Battle Creek, Michigan; a sister Elizabeth (Tim) McClugage of Denver, CO; a niece Lindsay (Jack) Lackey of Brighton, CO; a nephew Landon Gardner of Denver, CO; and many aunts, uncles, and cousins who will cherish her memory forever. Debbie had a wonderful sense of humor and a joy for life. She had a tremendous knack for organization. Her people skills were recognized early on, when she was presented the prestigious Leadership Award in fifth grade. She enjoyed working. She liked to read. She loved her friends, her family and her cat, Sadie. Throughout her life, her great-grandfather, Louis Perez of Battle Creek, Michigan referred to her as “Debbie the Great”. Because she was. Visitation and cremation occurred in Denver, CO. A Memorial Service will be held at Olinger Highland Mortuary, Thornton, CO.