Deborah (Deb) Louise Wettstein Staton passed away peacefully in the loving company of her family at Beacon Place Hospice Care in Greensboro, North Carolina on June 22, 2023. Born in Manhasset, New York on June 21, 1955, Deb was the eldest of three children by Reverend Dr. Adelbert Arnold Wettstein (deceased) and Marguerite Bausman Verdier Wettstein. She is survived by her husband of over 42 years, James Brooks Staton III of Greensboro, her mother, Marguerite of Winter Park, Florida, daughter Jennifer Staton Kreick (Kyle) of Dallas, Texas, son Jonathan Calvin Staton (Russala) of Greensboro, brother Theodore Arnold Wettstein (Emily) of The Villages, Florida, John Frederick Wettstein (Eve) of Tallahassee, Florida, and granddaughters Penelope Brooks (Pippa) and Madeline Louise (Lou Lou) Kreick.
Her family followed her father’s career in the ministry and as he completed his Doctorate in Philosophy of Religion, living in Dayton, Ohio, Vero Beach, Florida, and Montreal, Canada, before settling in Winter Park, Florida where her father was a professor and Dean of the Chapel at Rollins College. After graduating from Winter Park High School, she attended Duke University and graduated in 1978 with a double major in Psychology and Computer Science. She later earned her M.B.A. from the Duke Fuqua School of Business.
Deb began her career in software development with IBM in Raleigh, NC, where she met the love of her life, Jim. They were married on May 9, 1981 at Rollins College in Winter Park in an outdoor service by Lake Virginia officiated by her father. When Jim took an assignment in Heidelberg, Germany for IBM Europe, Deb joined IBM Germany to work with him in the European Networking Center. Together they helped develop IBM’s first standardized email system. When Jim’s father retired, they left IBM and returned to Greensboro to transfer their computer science and management skills to the family business (Jim Staton Distributing Company), where they raised their children and much-loved dachshunds. With the sale of the business to Mutual Distributing Company (and later Johnson Brothers), Deb was asked in each case to stay on to lead the software development group.
Deb loved computer programming, developing software in a number of computer languages that did everything from interfacing communication cards to PC’s to mainframe operating systems programs to application programs from accounting to warehouse management. When her daughter Jennifer needed help with a computer science class in JAVA at Duke, Deb was there to work through the programs with her. She was known to her colleagues and friends not only for her leadership and ability to solve complex problems, but her ability to listen to others and help them feel comfortable, whether the problem was work or personal.
Deb had a wide range of interests. She loved cooking with ingredients from her garden and the Greensboro Farmer’s Market, where she shopped weekly for fresh produce and flowers. She enjoyed travel, whether a mission trip to Cuba or Mexico, one of her many trips to France and Germany, biking through Maine, or hiking through Glacier National Park. She enjoyed analyzing stocks with her investment club, sharing her insights on a book with her book club, cheering on the Duke Blue Devils and the Wake Forest Demon Deacons, fabulous meals with her French travel group, and attending Bryan Series lectures and Greensboro Symphony Orchestra concerts. Most importantly, she loved spending time with her granddaughters, whether teaching them to swim, reading them the books she created, or helping with their art projects. Deb enjoyed workouts with her friends “The Groupies,” tennis, golf, and bridge. Although a fierce competitor, she was always gracious with everyone who competed with and against her.
In her work with the Junior League and as an Elder at First Presbyterian Church, Deb brought caring, empathy, and compassion which was expressed in her big smile that was her signature greeting and will always be remembered by all who knew her.
She will be missed by all her family, including her sisters-in-law Martha Lynne Swaringen and Ashley Elmore Staton Scott, nephews Jim Swaringen (Kelly), Joe Swaringen (Grace), Nick Wettstein, nieces Mary Jane Mason (Elliot) and daughters Clara and Eleanor, Emily Wettstein and daughter Caroline, Sophie Wettstein, and cousins, Julie, Margaret, Sue, Kathy, Jonathan, Peter, Chris, Calvin, and Richard, aunt Elizabeth, and her beloved wirehaired dachshund Max. She will also be missed by her many friends who are like her extended family.
A celebration of Deb’s life will be held Friday, June 30, 2023 at 11 am in the First Presbyterian Church sanctuary followed by a reception with refreshments at 12 pm in the Mullin Life Center.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the First Presbyterian Church, 617 N. Elm St., Greensboro, NC 27401, Greensboro Urban Ministry, 305 West Gate City Blvd, Greensboro, NC 27406, or the Duke Cancer Institute, 300 W. Morgan St., Suite 1200, Durham, NC 27701.
Online condolences may be left at www.haneslineberryfhnorthelm.com.
