Debra “Debbie” Louise Owens, of Orlando, Florida, passed away peacefully on August 14, 2024, surrounded in love by family and friends, at the age of 72.
Debbie, the oldest of three, was born on September 19, 1951, in Freemont, Nebraska to Glenna and Ralph Williams. As the daughter of a pipeliner, Debbie traveled all over the US, living in thirty-two states before graduating from Los Lunas High School in New Mexico.
Debbie studied to become a cosmetologist, opening and operating a beauty salon until she fell in love and transitioned to the role of wife and mother. After her divorce, she unexpectedly found her second career path by putting herself through college at night to become a jailer/dispatcher first with the Mayes County Sheriff’s Office and the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, eventually transitioning within OSBI to become a Senior Physical Evidence Technician.
Debbie’s dream of moving to Florida to enjoy the beautiful weather and sandy beaches set her on her third and final career path. She entered the field of customer relations, working with Disney, Tupperware, and Brighthouse, before returning to Disney to finish out her working career in the Disney Guest Service Call Center. Extending her role of adoring grandma, Debbie also babysat for tourists with both All About Kids and Kids Night Out.
Debbie is preceded in death by her parents, Glenna and Ralph Williams; her three Aunts, Betty Bubbert, Laura Cook, and Carma Taylor; her grandparents, Chester and Mary Young; her daughter, Teresa Ann Owens; and her two siblings Mary Cox and Chester Williams.
Debbie is survived by her children Patti Lee and Vikki Sawyer, her grandchildren Kearney and Steven “Squid” Starr, and Keven Harding, as well as several great-grandchildren.