Debrodt , Barbara Jo 4/20/1928 - 7/30/2020 Ann Arbor Barbara Jo Debrodt, 92, died peacefully of natural causes July 30 at University of Michigan hospital. Barbara was born in Summitt, New Jersey, but spent most of her childhood in Somerset, Pennsylvania, riding horses and playing with the pet donkey she named "Chico Dynamito" at her family's farm. She graduated with a B.A. from the University of Michigan and moved to Chicago and then to Detroit in her career in publishing sales. During one eventful sales call in 1955, she met her best friend, dance partner, and husband, Robert Debrodt; they were together from that first meeting until his death in 2018. After their marriage, they moved to Ann Arbor, where they resided the rest of their lives. Barbara worked as a freelance public relations consultant for many years. She also authored a book on surviving graduate school that was featured on "The Today Show," where she was interviewed on live television in New York. She later went back to school at UM Law School and received her degree in 1979, passing the bar exam on her first attempt. She worked for several years as an attorney in Governor William Milliken's administration in Lansing before moving on to work in the Washtenaw County Prosecuting Attorney's Office for the rest of her legal career. After retiring, she overcame several health setbacks and traveled widely, visiting Europe, Mexico, South Africa, Japan, Antarctica, and the former USSR. She loved singing, her piano, the New York Times crossword puzzle, and her family, neighbors, and friends. She had a boundless gift for enthusiasm and never tired of meeting new people or talking to old friends. She is survived by her children, Carol and Todd Moskowitz, Donna Debrodt and Dan Martinson; grandchildren Lindsay and Andy Carcioppolo, David Moskowitz and Tayma Bislim; and great-grandchildren Cole, Emma, and Emir. Services will be private. She was a bright light always and she will be forever missed. And somewhere, she and Bob are dancing again.
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