Deborah’s Obituary Deborah Duffell White, of Ft. Collins, Colorado and formally of Raleigh, North Carolina and Athens, Georgia unexpectedly passed away on February 13, 2019 from heart failure at the Medical Center of the Rockies, at the age of 59. Deborah was born July 5, 1959 to Bobby Duffell and Mabeth “Betty” (Wilkes) Duffell and was raised in Athens, Georgia.
She graduated from Cedar Shoals High School, with the Class of ’77. She was a member of the East Athens Baptist Church. She married right out of high school and gave birth to a premature son, Josh, who would be her inspiration through life.
She later divorced and as an independent, single mother, raised her son to the very best of her abilities. She worked as a bookkeeper for several local businesses in Athens until she met and married James Allen White on July 4, 1997, where she inherited a daughter, and him a son. They lived several years in Athens before moving to Raleigh, North Carolina and then recently to Ft.
Collins, Colorado. Deborah was a dedicated mother and wife and devoted her life to her son, immediate and extended family, friends and her pets. Even after undergoing many challenges in life, she always seemed to respond as a better and stronger person.
She worked tirelessly to raise and teach her son, Josh, how to deal with and overcome his handicap and to be a self-sufficient young man, of which she did an outstanding job. She was never shy about starting a conversation with a perfect stranger and in this way; she made genuine and lasting friendships throughout her life. She had a wicked sense of humor and loved to laugh.
She loved the outdoors from the beach to the mountains, and she was always up for an adventure. She loved walks on the beach, splashing in the waves and collecting sea shells, star fish and sand dollars, or hiking the dense forests of the north Georgia and North Carolina Mountains looking for waterfalls or hiking the pine forests and open terrain of the Colorado and Wyoming mountains and taking in the vista views. She loved to camp and for the past several years arranged her part-time work schedule to allow her to spend her summers camping at their property west of Laramie, Wyoming overlooking the Snowy Range mountains – this was her happy spot where she loved to watch the wild horses and wildlife that wandered the property, her spirit and presence will be missed.
She loved a variety of sports and was a huge fan of the University of Georgia Football, Go Dawgs! ! , NASCAR racing – Dale Earnhardt, Jr and Martin Truex, baseball – Atlanta Braves, NFL – New England Patriots, NCAA basketball – Duke, and NHRA racing – John Force.
For her whole life she loved to read, and one year read 64 books! Her strength, spirit, wit, sense of humor and presence will be missed by all who she touched throughout her life. Deborah was preceded in death by her father and mother, sisters Pam Simmons and Kathy “Flash” Johnson and brother-in-law Rodney Simmons, who was like a brother to her and Tom Petty and George Harrison, her favorite musical artists.
She is survived by her husband James White, her son Josh, daughter Genavieve and pets Sister and Stony, her brother and sister-in-law Brad Duffell and Pate Duffell of Jacksonville, Florida, sister Patti Duffell of Athens, Georgia and nieces and nephews. Deborah will be cremated and a Celebration of Her Life will be held for her family and friends the weekend of June 21, 2019, the first day of summer – her favorite time of year, at their property west of Laramie, Wyoming followed by a release of her ashes from Libby Flats Lookout in the Snowy Range mountains where she can look down over the Laramie valley and the wild horses she loved. Parties interested in attending should contact the family for further details and directions.
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