Deborah Fast

GAINESVILLE, Ga. - It is with great sadness that the family of Deborah Buckles Fast, 71, of Gainesville, Georgia, announce her passing away on Saturday, Dec. 7, 2019.

Deborah will be lovingly remembered and missed. She is survived by her husband, Larry E. Fast, of Gainesville, Georgia; her daughters, Carisa Lewis Reilly (Richard J. Reilly, Jr), of Short Hills, New Jersey, and Elisabeth (Libby) Shelby (Bryan Hoffman), of Dallas, Texas; and son, John Bentley Shelby Jr., (Samantha), of Chicago, Illinois. Deborah will be fondly remembered as "Grandma America" by her three grandchildren, Madeline Rebecca, Abigail Georgina and Robert Benjamin Whittall; by her sisters, Kathalee Refner, of Hamilton, Indiana, and Teresa Barnard, of Petaluma, California; and her many nieces and nephews.

Deborah was preceded in death by her parents, Oris Jon and Barbara Ann Buckles, of Garrett, Indiana; sister, Donnadee (Dee) Hohimer, of Fort Myers, Florida; and nephew, Chad Burkey, of Santa Clara, California.

Deborah was a devoted mother and grandmother, and enjoyed volunteering at her children's schools and leading Girl Scout Troops.

She had a life-long interest in nature, and enjoyed visiting nature preserves and botanical gardens wherever she traveled. The Gainesville Botanical Garden was a favorite place of reflection. She never missed a chance during travel to find a nature preserve, a national park, an aquarium - whatever was in the area for a visit. She studied and learned about birds, wild animals, snakes of all kinds from the Everglades in Florida, to Denali State Park in Alaska, and from Acadia National Park in Maine, to Yosemite National Park in California.

She was a practiced and knowledgeable gardener her entire life, keeping vegetable gardens, flower beds, and a variety of house plants thriving. Throughout her life she participated in the healthy, organic food movement from the 1970s onward.

Perhaps her greatest passion was in the creative arts. She was an accomplished potter, and was an early "cottage industry" ceramic artist. She learned to sew at an early age from her mother, making beautiful clothes for herself, friends, children and grandchildren, and passed on her skills and passion for sewing, knitting and crochet to them.

Deborah is best described as a modern Renaissance woman with endless talents, a thirst for learning, a sharp wit and wonderful sense of humor. Deborah will be missed by her many friends, in many places, both old and new.

A service will be held at Memorial Park Funeral Home, 989 Riverside Drive in Gainesville, on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2020, with visitation from 6-8 p.m. A short memorial service will be held at 7 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in Deborah Fast's name to the Gainesville, Georgia, location of Atlanta Botanical Garden: 1911 Sweetbay Drive, Gainesville, GA 30501, Attn: Kaila Jackson (404) 591-1575.

Memorial Park North Riverside Chapel, 989 Riverside Drive, is in charge of arrangements. Send online condolences to memorialparkfuneralhomes.com.