Deborah Jane McCue

Deborah Jane McCue, 76, died November 30, 2025, of complications from chronic myeloid leukemia and dementia. Services will be held at O. R. Woodyard's South Chapel, 1346 S. High St., Columbus, Ohio. Friday, December 5, 2005. A celebration of life will begin at 3 p.m. with a visitation held 4-6 p.m. Interment will be held at Forest Lawn Memorial Gardens, 5600 E. Broad St., Saturday, December 6, 2025, 11:30 a.m.

Here are the facts: Debbie was born to John and Merle Abel Daniel on October 6, 1949, in Columbus, Ohio. A year later, they moved to Bexley, where she lived nearly her entire life. She was an older sibling to Jennifer and Dianna. After graduating from Bexley High School in 1967, she moved to Athens, Ohio, to attend Ohio University. There, she met her love and life partner, Michael McCue. They married on December 19, 1970. Debbie and Mike had two children, Daniel and Christopher, and five grandchildren.

Debbie had many things she loved in this life. Cats. An ice-cold Coca-Cola. Iced tea with three packets of sugar and a long-handled spoon. She loved reading Stephen King and MAD Magazine, solving crosswords and playing Tetris, watching The Wizard of Oz, and listening to The Beatles, Simon & Garfunkel, Barry Manilow, and sounds of the '60s. She loved to rescue animals. She didn't suffer foolsâ€"or brasâ€"gladly (but not necessarily in that order).

What would have happened if she had been born a generation later? She likely would have benefited from Title IX and women's sports. Her only broken bone came as a result of playing backyard football with the neighborhood boys. As an adult, she enjoyed playing softball and volleyball. She rooted for the Buckeyes, Browns, and Guardians on the field and the Columbus Blue Jackets on the ice, where she and Mike had partial season tickets for years.

She also loved her community. She worked as an enumerator for multiple U.S. Census counts. She organized a neighborhood football pool for Ohio State football games as well as block parties. In the Bexley Women's Club she was a Life Member, Member of Distinction, and Treasurer. She also served the Bexley Historical Society. As her kids participated in activities, she was a reliable volunteer for everything from a room parent to Bexley Music Parents.

Most of all, Debbie loved her family. She loved being a daughter of Merle and John, a sibling to Jenny and Di, a spouse to Mike, and a mother to Dan and Chris. As a child, her family frequently visited with their extended family. In adulthood, she remained close with them. She helped organize an annual gathering of Abels at Cedar Point each June and regularly attended the annual Embree Picnic with them each August in Pennsville, Ohio. She also loved getting together with family for food, games, and laughterâ€"even if she didn't always get there on time.

Debbie was preceded in death by her parents, Merle and John Daniel; her parents-in-law, Louise and John Frederick McCue; her nephew, Dustin McCue; and many cousins. She is survived by her husband, Mike; her children Daniel (Sara) of Grinnell, Iowa, and Christopher (Leah) of Bexley; her siblings Jennifer (Mike) Ritchey of Bexley and Dianna Daniel of Columbus; her siblings-in-law Sharie (Larry) McNamee of Laguna Niguel, Calif., and John Terrence McCue of Riverside, Calif.; her grandchildren Slane, Johanna, Seeger, Bryce, and Brynn; her nieces Kay (Mark Hanke) Ritchey of Seattle, goddaughter Abbey (Tim) Givens of Columbus, Colleen McNamee of Costa Mesa, Calif., and Cairine McNamee of San Diego, Calif.; her nephews Matt (Tatiana) Ritchey of Atlanta, Brien (Jessica) McCarty of Christiansted, U.S. Virgin Islands, and John McCue of Houston, Texas; and her many cousins.

In lieu of flowers, please make donations to the Bexley Women's Club scholarship fund, P.O. Box 09023, Bexley, OH 43209, or The Cat Welfare Association, 741 Wetmore Rd, Columbus, OH 43214.