Obituary of Deborah Stevenson Stirling

Deborah Stevenson Stirling passed away peacefully at home in Lake Havasu City 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 San Francisco Bay Area as a child. She spent most of her early life in Marin County, where she later met Keith. It was love at first sight. Keith and Deborah married in 1979, and they moved to Sebastopol where they established themselves as important members of the community. They opened one of Sonoma County’s first video stores, 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. In 2004, Keith and Deborah retired to Havasu 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 California when it is possible to gather safely. Deborah’s family would like to offer profound thanks to Hospice of Havasu for its tremendous support. Services were entrusted to the care of Lietz-Fraze Funeral Home. Thoughts and condolences can be sent to the family at www.lietz-frazefuneralhome.com.