Mary Elizabeth Debo

Mary Elizabeth (Gillman) Debo, 82-year-old rural Vinita (Centralia) resident, passed away on Tuesday, July 15, 2025, at her home. She was born on October 11, 1942, in Lenapah to Richard A. Gillman and Ruby Earnestine (Talley) Gillman. Mary graduated from Lenapah High School in 1960, and attended college at Miami for a short time. On February 19, 1961, she married the love of her life Louis Q. Debo at the Lenapah Baptist Church. Mary worked at Unique Dress Shop in Parsons, she also sold Merle Norman Cosmetics, and lastly at TRW Cinch in Vinita. She also enjoyed many hobbies, cake decorating, photography, sewing, quilting, upholstery, and floral arranging. She was a member of the Sunshine Bible Church on Highway 10 west of Welch.
Preceding her in death were parents and brother in law Jimmy Stark.
The family includes her husband Louis Debo of the home; sons, Louis Debo, Jr. and Tanya of Claremore, John Debo and Stacy of Cherryvale, Kansas, Eddie Debo and wife Roberta of Delaware; daughter Pansy Johnson and husband Dennis of Elko, Nevada; a brother, Richard Gillman, Jr. and wife Jane of Delaware; a sister, Regina Stark of Norton, Kansas; fourteen grandchildren, and twenty-one great-grandchildren.
The family will receive friends from 2-4 p.m. on Sunday, July 20, 2025, at the Burckhalter-Highsmith Chapel in Vinita.
The graveside service will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Monday, July 21, 2025, at the Mount Washington Cemetery in Lenapah, Pastor Dallas Martin will officiate. Casket bearers will be Brandon Debo, Colby Debo, Matthew Debo, Jeremiah Stark, Robert Thompson, and Cayden Nix, the honorary bearer will be Larry Layton.
The celebration of life will start at 1:00 p.m. on Monday, July 21, 2025, at the Sunshine Bible Church, west of Welch on Highway 10. Online condolences may be made at www.highsmithfh.com or on the funeral home Facebook page. Arrangements are in the care of the Burckhalter-Highsmith Funeral and Cremation Services of Vinita. "Vinita's only locally family owned and operated funeral home."