Deborah Gifford

1956 - 2020

Deborah J. Gifford, 64

WORCESTER - Deborah Jeanne Gifford, 64, the oldest child of DeWitt B. and Margaret H. (Hutton) Gifford, died on Thursday, December 3, 2020 at Rose Monahan Hospice Home, 10 Judith Road, after a brief illness.

Besides her parents she leaves her stepmother of 43 years, Mary Gifford of Carmel, CA; three brothers, Hanson S. Gifford, III and his wife Sasha of Woodside, CA, Edward (Ted) Gifford and his wife Christine, of Glastonbury, CT, and William (Will) Gifford of Virginia Beach, VA; two sisters, Shannon M. Gifford and her husband Jerrold Glick of Denver, CO and Heather Guimond of Marshfield, MA. She adored her nieces and nephews Katharine, Marshall, Ellie, Genevieve, Henry, and Max.

She was born in Palo Alto, California and moved to Massachusetts in 1970; she had lived in Worcester since 1980. Debs was a graduate of the Riverview School in East Sandwich, MA, and attended Cazenovia College in New York.

Debs worked as a Certified Nursing Assistant for nearly 20 years, including more than a dozen at Knollwood Nursing Home. Previously she had worked at the Fernald School.

She was an avid baseball fan and enjoyed attending Red Sox and Braveheart games. Debs volunteered at the Worcester County Food Bank and the Dean Street Hahnemann Family Health Center. She was a caring and generous person who served as the family's historian, never forgetting an anniversary or birthday. She will be missed by so many people who valued her loving and open nature.

A Memorial Service will be held on a date and a time to be announced. Kelly Funeral 154 Lincoln St., is assisting the family with arrangements. To share your thoughts and memories with the family on-line, please visit

www.kellyfuneralhome.com