Gurdev "Debo" Johl

Sunrise ~ May 19, 1934

Sunset ~ December 27, 2021

Debo transitioned peacefully in her daughter’s Victoria home on December 27, 2021. In her

last hours, she was surrounded by love, prayers, and family. Born on May 19, 1934, in Cheema

Kalan, Punjab, India to Karam Kaur and Bhola Singh Cheema, the youngest of 4 siblings.

Predeceased by her husband, Harbhajan, her brothers and sister Santokh, Joginder, and Gejo,

and brothers and sisters-in-law Abtar, Sharanjit, Narnjan, Minder and Gurbaksh. Debo is

survived by her children, Jeeti (Tommy), Jag (Jageero), and Harjit (Jim) - and her

grandchildren, Davinder, Krishna, Ryan, Kari and Jena. She is also survived by her

brother-in-law, and sister-in-law, Sardara and Kiranjit. Debo will be forever treasured as

Phooaji/Chachi/Masi/Bhudi Mumi/Auntie to her many loving nieces and nephews, and by

countless others over the years who fondly knew her as Grandma Debo/G-Ma/Gurr/Bibi/Beebs.

Debo spent the first 17 years of her life in Cheema Kalan - until 1951 when a handsome kid

named Harbhajan negotiated his marriage to Debo as part of a grand strategy to return

home to Canada. His plan was successful and the family is immensely grateful that it was.

The Johl clan, helmed by Swarn Kaur and Karma Singh, along with their new recruits Debo

and Sharanjit, made the journey by boat from Mumbai to San Francisco, settling in Victoria in

1952. In 1956, the Johl family moved to Vancouver, into a home on Semlin Drive - it was in this

home that the foundation of a deeply valued extended family structure would take root.

At her core, Debo was a truth-teller, a fighter and a giver. She had an impeccable moral

compass that guided her every move and she used that same compass to help guide others.

Fairness and equality were major parts of her belief system. She was famous for telling people

to “do right things” - often accompanied by a strong finger wag. She never bit her tongue

when a hard truth needed to be told and in equal measure, she patiently held space and love

for you to learn and grow. If you popped in to see her, you were guaranteed to benefit from a

sermon served with a side of love and fresh-baked muffins.

Over the years, Debo demonstrated tremendous personal strength, determination and

independence. She survived tuberculosis in her youth; was widowed at the age of 54; struck

by a car and almost permanently lost the ability to walk less than a year later; lost her home

to a fire in 2001; was admitted to the intensive care unit due to illness in 2012; and suffered a

broken hip in 2017. Through it all, she never wavered in her faith, her work ethic, or her sense

of humour. Every time she got knocked down, she got right back up - and each time she

fought her way back - her motivation was to be strong and capable for her family and friends.

She was the backbone of our family and the comeback Queen.

Her joy and purpose in life resided firmly in her family, friends and in her service to others.

She could connect with people quickly, deeply and authentically - and quietly impacted

more lives than we’ll ever truly know. Her home - and especially her kitchen - had an

open-door policy. She loved nothing more than feeding guests - often adopting new friends

along the way. She had an incredibly soft spot for children and took caring for them to heart.

There wasn’t a child that she wouldn’t feed, cuddle, teach, or fiercely protect. As she grew

older, so did her definition of “children”, which eventually meant that she had a whole village

of very old “kids” in her orbit. Whenever she had the opportunity, she would happily dispense

nuggets of wisdom, prefaced with the phrase, “ek merri galsone”. She had limitless space in

her heart, and she was admirably unguarded in blessing people with her love. Once she gave

you her love, you knew you could count on it for a lifetime.

Debo was always up for an adventure, some fun, or a good laugh - she had a very curious and

playful spirit. She travelled extensively, from India and the UK to California, New York, DC, Las

Vegas and Hawaii - and even went white water rafting in Banff. She wasn’t afraid to try new

things - or look a little silly while doing so. She was incredibly open-minded, always listening

and learning - with each new tidbit of information she’d follow it up by saying, “somebody

told me like that”. She was quick with an unexpected joke, loved spending time with her

grandchildren and never turned down an ice cream sandwich.

Her soul was pure and she was spiritually grounded - she knew exactly who she was and was

always focused on the important things in life. She simply radiated love - and it felt right that

she ended her physical time with us during a freshly fallen, silent shroud of snow. We have it

on good authority that she was greeted by loved ones on the other side, to warmly welcome

her into her new world. Her legacy will live forever in her inherent goodness - and the seeds of

goodness that she planted and cultivated in every person that she loved and cared for.

With respect to current public health conditions, the main service will be private and limited

to close friends and family. The service can be viewed live or on replay at

https://funeraweb.tv/en/diffusions/43307. The service will be protected with the following

password: 374701003561.

Anyone who wishes to pay their respects is welcome to a viewing/darshan on January 5th,

from 9-9:45 am at Hamilton Harron Funeral Home at 5390 Fraser Street in Vancouver, and for

final prayers at 12:30 pm at Gurdwara Nanak Niwas, 8600 No. 5 Rd, Richmond.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Guru Nanak’s Free Kitchen, to feed folks in need

on the downtown Eastside in Vancouver. https://gnfk.org/

The family would deeply appreciate the expression of fond memories, stories, and sharing

your favourite Debo-isms by adding a memory below.