Deborah Ann Puza

Deborah “Debbie” Ann Puza (nee Vogt), age 67, died peacefully on June 12, 2025, in Summit, Wisconsin. Debbie was born November 29, 1957, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to Gordon J. Vogt, Jr. and Christine Catherine (nee Orlowski) Vogt.

A few years after their graduation from Wauwatosa East High School, Debbie married Hollis Jerome Puza, Jr. on October 25, 1980. After living in West Allis for a time, they made their home in Ixonia, Wisconsin, where they raised a multitude of dogs and for many years, a thriving flock of chickens.

Although she pursued an education in Horticulture at Waukesha County Technical College, Debbie’s profound love of animals took her in a different direction. Her career as a Veterinary Technician spanned decades, most recently at Oconomowoc Animal Hospital.

Her enthusiasm for working with animals was not only expressed in her work, but also through her beloved golden retrievers, her “boys”. She worked tirelessly, training and handling them in agility competitions, field trials and in the ring at AKC shows, in some, earning Champion and Grand Champion status, as well as many other AKC titles.

Debbie also loved the music of Gordon Lightfoot; attending so many of his concerts she probably knew the words to all of his songs better than he.

Debbie is survived and missed by her husband of nearly 45 years, Hollis; her siblings, Douglas (Dawn) Loew of New Berlin, and Diane Hernitz of Greenfield; brothers-in-law, Gary Puza and Larry Puza; and sister-in-law, Sue (Dennis) Czarniak.

“Auntie Debbie” is further survived by her nephews, Cooper (Emily) Loew and Jaxon (Alexandrea) Loew; nieces, Cheyenne (Lucas) Kopeschka and Sierra (Sean) Adamec; grandnephews, Ashton and Roman Kopeschka; and grandniece, Vienna Adamec.

Debbie was preceded in death by her parents and sister-in-law, Sharry (Mike) Laven.

Hollis would like to extend a special thank you to all the nurses and doctors at Aurora Summit Hospital who took care of Debbie during her final days.

The family will honor Debbie’s memory with a quiet farewell - no public service will be held.