Obituary for Patrick Dennis Debrow Patrick Dennis Debrow, age 77, of Marshall, VA died on Thursday, September 6, 2018. Patrick was born on December 5, 1940 in Foxworth, MS to the Joseph W. and Margie Dell Leonard Debrow, and was raised in Hattiesburg, MS with his four younger siblings: sister Jimmie Fay, twin sisters Georgia Jayne and Virginia Layne, and brother Richard. The house on Pack Avenue was filled with love and often a dishpan of banana pudding, Patrick’s favorite.
Patrick joined the Mississippi National Guard as a teenager and after high school (Hattiesburg H.S., Class of 1958), served in the US Army, stationed in Germany. Patrick attended the University of Southern Mississippi, obtaining BS and MS degrees in Physics and English Literature, and spent time working on oil rigs and surveying in the Middle East and South East Asia. Patrick moved to the Washington, DC area and served in the Directorate of Operations in the Central Intelligence Agency for 24 years.
Patrick was stationed in Okinawa, Japan and Moscow, Russia, then settled in Vienna, VA. Patrick traveled all over the world for work, always bringing local dolls back to his two daughters, Melissa and Jennifer. Patrick loved a family road trip, traveling all across the US and up to Nova Scotia, Canada multiple times.
Following retirement from the CIA, Patrick founded his own company, Cobbler, Inc., creating surveillance equipment for the government and law enforcement. As a friend of Bill W. since 1979, Patrick was deeply involved in the work of sobriety and recovery for himself and many friends. Patrick found peace and serenity on Big Cobbler Mountain, where he designed and built his log mountain home, Valeview.
Since 1994, Patrick and his wife Sharon have enjoyed the beautiful views and many friends in Fauquier County. Patrick loved riding his tractor in overalls and keeping his dogs (Lucy and Snoopy, and the late Happy and Phoebe) safe from bears. Although living far from Mississippi, Patrick always found time to go back to visit family and friends in and around Hattiesburg.
Over the past decade, Patrick researched his family genealogy across the South, meeting new family online and in person. Patrick is survived by his beloved wife of 34 years, Sharon Diedrich, daughters Melissa Debrow of Herndon, VA and Jennifer Debrow (Edwin van der Hoek) of Minneapolis, MN, stepson Paul Kerlin of Linden, VA and stepdaughter Lori Kerlin of Ruther Glen, VA, and treasured grandchildren Noah, Joshua, Katie, Nathan, Shawn and Evelyn. Patrick was predeceased by his parents, sisters Jayne and Layne, and brother Richard.
A celebration of Patrick’s life will be held at a later date. Please follow the CaringBridge page for Patrick (www. caringbridge.org/visit/patrickdebrow) to be notified of the service time and place.
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