Emily Anna DeBano

DeBano, Emily Anna (“Ann”) Passed away December 31, 2025, she was born in Monterey Park, California on August 3, 1932, to Alleen Helen (Carlson) Shideler and James Henry Shideler. Early on, her parents moved to Hemet, where they eventually settled for 17 years on a 49-acre ranch (known in the family as “The Forty.”)  Before her parents had a two-story house built on The Forty, Ann, her older brother, and her parents lived briefly in a railroad refrigerator car anchored at the ranch. The family grew olives, apricots, and walnuts, and their olive grove was the second largest in Hemet Valley at the time. In 1946, the ranch was sold and the family moved to a 5-acre walnut orchard on Mayberry Street in Hemet. A year later, they moved to the “H Peak” ranch in Hemet, the boundaries of which included the hill on which high school students painted a large “H” for Hemet.

Ann graduated with honors from Hemet High School in 1950, and was valedictorian of her graduating class. She attended the University of California at Berkeley and initially majored in chemistry. However, taking several courses in the College of Forestry sparked her life-long interest in forestry, natural resources, and economics, and she switched majors, receiving a BS in Forestry in 1954. Ann was a trailblazer at a time when forestry was a male-dominated field. She served as a fire lookout for several summers in the Pacific Northwest and was the first woman to attend UC Berkeley’s forestry summer camp in 1953. Ann continued her academic training by pursuing research in forest economics at UC Berkeley, where she received a Master’s in Forestry in 1955. After finishing her Master’s, she began a PhD program in Forestry Economics and completed all required coursework for the degree. In the process of working on her dissertation, a number of other exciting events occurred in her life that led her on a slightly different path.

In her second year as a PhD student, Ann met Leonard DeBano, another graduate student studying soil science at Berkeley. Their friendship blossomed, and Leonard, always a jokester, proposed to Ann on April 1. They were married on August 6, 1960.  Their marriage marked the start of a long and happy family life that began in Berkeley. Leonard’s career led to several relocations, including moves to Glendora, California in 1963, Tempe, Arizona in 1977, and Tucson, Arizona in 1993. Ann and Leonard continued to enjoy and share humor, took adventurous camping and fishing trips, and hosted many holidays and special celebrations at their house. The fun and memories created during these times will be forever treasured. Ann remained in Tucson until Leonard’s death, when she relocated to Tempe to be closer to family. 

Ann’s life was full of varied interests and accomplishments. In 1963, Ann was hired by the U.S. Forest Service to work at the Fire Lab in Riverside as a research economist, a position she held until shortly after the birth of her fourth child. After her work with the U.S. Forest Service, Ann delved into a diverse range of other pursuits, including becoming an active member of the League of Women Voters, being appointed by the governor to the Arizona State Climate Committee in the 1980s, completing a MS in Industrial Engineering at ASU in 1988, and editing professional manuscripts. Ann was provided with a lifetime supply of red pencils by the honored recipients of her redline edits. Additionally, Ann was actively involved in several groups that focused on professional and community service, social responsibility, and civic engagement, including the Society of American Foresters and local parent-teachers associations. 

Ann was preceded in death by her husband, Leonard, and her sisters Elizabeth Shideler and Carla Shideler Bailey. She is survived by her brother, James Henry Shideler Jr. and by her and Leonard’s four children: Hans Anthony (married to Dominique Laroche), Kathryn Marie (married to Nathan Rhodes), Sandra Jean (married to David Wooster), and Wendy Sue. There are five grandchildren: Siavosh, Matthew, Sally, Amy, and Samantha, and three great-grandchildren. Ann’s memorial service will be at the King of Glory Lutheran Church in Tempe at 10:00 AM, Friday, January 16, 2026, with interment at a later date at Holy Hope Cemetery in Tucson. Suggestions for those wishing to make memorial donations: California Alumni Foresters, University of California, Berkeley, 145 Mulford Hall # 3114 Berkeley, CA 94720-3114, King of Glory Lutheran Church, 2085 E Southern Ave, Tempe, AZ 85282 or a charity of choice. Arrangements by TEMPE MORTUARY.