Remembering Debbie

Howdy, fine friends!

Have you ever had a really great friend in your life that you would do anything for?  One that you could talk to at any time and she/he would listen?  One that you could do crazy things with and get away with it?  That friend, for me, actually started out as Mom's friend at work and then she kind of filtered into the family and we all grew to love her.  Her name was Debbie Greenman and I will never forget her or all the fun times we had.  Had I had known her life was going to be so short on this Earth, I would have crammed in a lot more stuff than what we did.

Debbie never married, although she was engaged once but he broke it off shortly before the wedding.  Debbie talked about her boss a lot and I kind of wondered if she had a crush on him, but she would never admit to such.  Debbie was our Michigan buddy. In the pic above, from left to right, is: my mom, Debbie's mom Ann and Debbie.  We always played croquet in their backyard.  We always went over to their house for supper every Saturday and we'd play games.

This is one of my favorite pics of the four of us together.  Debbie just got a brand new camera and wanted to test the timer feature.  So she put the camera on top of the car, set the timer, ran back to the patio and took her position next to her mother and that is when the camera started to roll slowly off the hood.  The timer went off as it started to roll, which is why the picture is so crooked.  The camera fell completely off the car and onto the grass.  Debbie hoped and prayed it got us all in the picture.  She had a film camera, no digital out yet at the time!  Luckily, though, the picture, although lopsided, came out pretty darn good if you ask me!!

Debbie and Ann fooling around with the photographer - me!!!  See what I have to put up with?

We always had this tradition where Debbie would come home from work and we would be there already (because she would always stay so late at work trying to impress that boss I KNEW she had a crush on!) and as soon as the door opened, she'd say, "Honey, I'm home!"  Like Ricky Ricardo would say to Lucy on "I Love Lucy."

When my parents and I moved to Arizona, that was a sad day for all to say good-bye.  But as Debbie reassured us, she'd come to visit.  And true to her word, she did visit March of 1995.  Here we are pictured in the desert.  We looked like we belonged on the FBI's "most wanted list!!!"

We took her to the dunes just outside of Yuma and she actually climbed the tree for this picture!  It was kind of a tradition and everyone climbed when they came to visit us.  I don't know how it started, but it sure is a goofy tradition if you ask me!

This is a picture of Debbie, my dad and Mom.  Notice how the ONLY one tanned is Dad!  He would go outside everyday and sit in the sun for a "light" tan.  I kept telling him that AZ is number one for skin cancer, but he'd say "I'm only out for a little bit."

Debbie LOVED to swim, whether cold or hot.  In this case, the water was very cold!!  Isn't she a hoot???

We sure did have fun in the hot tub!!!  In case you are wondering, Dad is taking our picture.  He doesn't swim much, he never has.  I don't know why.

 Doesn't that water look good?  I miss having a pool so close by!  My in-laws used to have a pool in their backyard, but then tore it up due to it had some leaking problems.  Now their backyard is used to park their motor home.

Any visitor that visits us in Yuma gets the Yuma Territorial Historical Prison Park tour (which is where I get married in one short year away!)  We just took Deb through the "dark cell."

Debbie, with camera in hand, to catch pictures of whatever she can!!

Up in the guard's watch tower: Debbie, me and Mom.  Don't we make a cute three-some??  LOL!

 

The "Chain Gang."  Me, Debbie & Mom.

Dad, catching a picture with Debbie while she is cutting up something for dinner.  She was an excellent cook and loved doing it.  She always made me my favorite, lasagna.  We had that during her stay with us and she made me a tin to put in the freezer for later.  She was always thoughtful and kind like that.

Debbie, Grandma and Mom all drinking the famous Bard, CA date shakes!!  I don't even LIKE dates, but I LOVE this shake!  Go figure!

What a two-some we make!! :)

I'm not sure what kind of pose this is, but she sure is into it, isn't she? :0)  Debbie loved to read and always had a book or magazine in hand!

 Debbie doing the traditional photo by the USA/Mexico border!  There are just some things you gotta do while in Yuma and going to Mexico is one of them!!

Mom and Deb taking a small lil' shopping break.  We were at the Sidewalk Sales in Old Town Yuma taking advantage of all the sales on lil' trinkets and stuff.

Debbie was like a machine that just kept going and going!  Mom and I were trying to keep up with her!!  Finally, she, too, is on a little shopping break!

The problem with a lot of shopping is....where do you put it all and how do you get it home?  She mailed two boxes full of stuff home.  And then she packed her suitcase with few items and her carry-on bag.  She was loaded to the gills!!!  Here Toby is trying to help her figure out what to put where!

Debbie's flight back to Michigan was an early one, so we had to get up at 2am and get ready.  As you can see by the look on Debbie's face, she is NOT a morning person!!

Here's the last pic I took of Debbie before taking her to the airport.  She looks a little on the surly side, doesn't she?  Anyway, we took her to the airport and off she went back to Michigan.  She came one more time to Yuma and that was for my wedding, which I will talk about later.

August 31, 2000, Ann called to tell us that Debbie had died. She had a kidney infection they thought at first and gave her antibiotics that made it worse!!  It shut her kidneys down immediately and she had to have dialysis.  And then she got some kind of abdominal abscess that required surgery as it kept spreading.  Sounds like that flesh eating bacteria, to me, but nobody said anything about it.  The dialysis was too much for her heart and it shut her heart and lungs down and she was on a ventilator.  She was sick for a month and then went to meet our Heavenly Father.  I will forever miss her.  She was the sister I never had.  She was a beautiful daughter, friend and employee.  She gave everyone that needed it a chance.  Rest in peace, my dear friend.  Now you and Mom can play your marathon Canasta card game to your heart's content!!

Again, the moral to this post is: value your friends for all they are worth. You just never know how long you will have them!!  :)


God Bless you all!
Until next post,