Deborah Stirling

1949 - 2020

Deborah Stirling
July 13, 1949 - June 22, 2020
Deborah Stevenson Stirling passed away peacefully at home in Lake Havasu City, Arizona on June 22, 2020 after a mercifully brief battle with cancer. She was with the love of her life, Keith Stirling, to whom she'd been married for more than 40 years.
Born in Murray, Utah in 1949, Deborah moved to the Bay Area as a child. With her family, she enjoyed boating on the Bay, swimming in the Delta and nights out in The City to Bimbo's or House of Prime Rib. She worked in the deli at Petrini's in Greenbrae, as a secretary in the Financial District and for her father's office furniture business South of Market. She attended Redwood High School and later met Keith at Charlie Bolton's night club in Novato. It was love at first sight.
Keith and Deborah married in 1979, and shortly after, they moved to Sebastopol where they established themselves as important members of the community. They opened one of Sonoma County's first video stores--Stirling Video--and as their daughters Kimberly and Nathalee grew up, Deborah became very involved with local 4-H and agriculture.
Deborah was a dedicated 4-H rabbit project leader. She and Nathalee traveled all over the United States showing their prize-winning rabbits. Later, Deborah was appointed to the Sonoma County Fair Board of Directors. One of her proudest achievements was serving as president of the Fair Board in 2002. She loved the fair and cherished those weeks in the summer when the hard work of so many people were enjoyed by all. She also made many special friends along the way who she stayed in contact with through the years.
In 2004, Keith and Deborah retired to Lake Havasu City where they built their dream house and enjoyed spending time on the breathtaking lake. They'd take regular trips back to California to visit their growing family and to attend the fair.
Deborah was one-of-a-kind. She was just as comfortable in diamonds as in denim, and she prided herself on living her life her way. She was a fantastic cook, loved needlepoint and following the news.
Deborah is survived by her loving husband Keith, her daughters Kimberly and Nathalee, and grandchildren Hailey, Wyatt, Dominic and Zachary, and her brother Bob. She will also be dearly missed by countless in-laws, nieces, nephews and friends.
A celebration of life will be held in the Bay Area when it is possible to gather safely. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Deborah's name to Hospice of Havasu, which provided tremendous support to the family.