Debbie was a good friend to both Kristin and myself. We met in about 2007 or so, after John and I started working together on the first Valkaria Air Fest. Since that time, the four of us became good friends and often shared an evening together just hanging out or going out to eat somewhere. As we got to know Debbie and John better, we learned a couple of things about Debbie... one, that she was generally pretty quiet most of the time. Two, that her gentle and quiet demeanor covered up a strong nature... and that she wasn't someone to be trifled with! Over the years, as Debbie's health went through various ups and downs, we learned how strong she was... if not always in body, certainly in spirit. Despite being on oxygen for the last couple of years, she still enjoyed having friends over for dinner and a movie, or going to events. I know that Kristin greatly cherishes the time she and Debbie got backstage passes to see Michael W. Smith, one of Deb's favorite artists. If it wasn't for Debbie and John, I may never have learned how much I like grilled bratwurst (though I still can't handle hot dogs!) It was always more fun to do stuff when Debbie was feeling good enough to join in, although it could bring some grief for us guys... more than once, when Deb and Kristin ganged up on us, I resorted to threatening to step on her oxygen tube to get things back under control! (Then, after I woke up from the impact of the frying pan on my head...) We were blessed to be at John and Debbie's wedding... after a rather short 16-year engagement! She was a truly beautiful, radiant bride, and John certainly played the part of the handsome, dashing hero quite well. They were both quite blessed to have found each other. Debbie's strong faith in Christ gave her the strength to know that whatever happened to her body, God truly was in control and it would be okay. Debbie didn't want to leave her loved ones on earth yet... but she knew where her REAL home was. In the hospital a week or two before she passed on, she told Kristin that she wanted to "either go home, or go HOME" (pointing upwards). She knew what really mattered... to be in God's presence forever. Just as Jesus Himself told the faithful man crying out for mercy as he was being crucified next to Him that he would join Jesus in Heaven on that very day, we can be comforted knowing that Debbie entered into God's presence as soon as she left her earthly life, leaving every bad thing behind forever. Can you even begin to imagine what it must be like to drift off to sleep one moment and awaken the next with no pain, a perfect body, in a place with no sadness, seeing your Christian brothers and sisters who went before, in a city paved in gold and illuminated by the bright shining of God's radiance and glory? As fragile, limited humans, I don't think we truly can even begin to envision what Heaven is really like. Yet we are made in God's image, and at a deep, fundamental level have a connection to Him... a bond which Debbie fully embraced and which carried her through all her struggles. Though weak in body, by God's grace Debbie was able to remain strong in spirit. I can only hope that if I ever have to face a similar situation in my own life, I can do so with even a fraction of the quiet strength Debbie had. It may seem quite unfair that Debbie was taken from us so soon. Perhaps it is. Even though we know she is reveling in perfect, healthy, eternal joy at our Father's side, it still hurts... a lot... that she can't be here with us in this world any more. However, I prefer to look at it the other way... what really doesn't make sense is that we were deemed worthy enough to be blessed with a friend like Debbie. Only a generation or so before ours, leukemia such as she had as a teenager couldn't be cured. If you got it, you usually had only a short time left before you were gone. I am grateful to God that we live in such a time that the knowledge and technology exists to treat such diseases successfully, so that Debbie could be blessed with over two more decades of life... most of that spent with John. While there were certainly some difficult times for Deb, I believe that they are far, far outnumbered and outweighed by all the good times. It's hard to feel like this right now, perhaps, but as time passes by I believe the sharp pain and deep sadness we are all experiencing now over losing Debbie will be increasingly surpassed by the flood of warm memories of moments of happiness, joy, and laughter we all shared over the years. It has been a great blessing to have known her, worth even the great sorrow we feel that she isn't here with us now. Finally, I am glad that Debbie knew how much she was loved... not just by John and her family, but by a whole bunch of friends as well. And rest assured, there have been many tears shed recently in several little factories scattered all around the globe which specialize in the manufacture of penguin-themed merchandise! We'll miss you, Debbie, but look forward to seeing you again in Heaven! - Mike Whaley