Deborah Kay Skaggs

When Deborah Kay Skaggs walked into the room, those in her company felt energy, an enthusiastic spontaneity. This was just one example of who Deborah was and how she impacted those around her. Deborah was a clever and gregarious person who always sought out the finest attributes in other people. It was as if Deborah wanted to share all of their experiences, revel in their lives and celebrate their discoveries. Deborah was tireless and had boundless enthusiasm that would serve her well throughout her life.

      Deborah was born on December 2, 1965, at Methodist Hospital & Medical Center, in St. Joseph, Missouri. She was the daughter of Monico Mike Mesa and Erma Ruth Maag Mesa. Deborah was raised in St. Joe and later in Grandview, Missouri. Always at the ready with a good joke, she grew up to be quite a humorous person. While some who knew Deborah might describe her as an idealist, her friends and family understood well that Deborah was always in pursuit of life’s endless possibilities and opportunities available to her.

      Deborah was raised with 3 siblings. She had 2 brothers, Tony & Doug and a sister, Barb. Deborah was very accepting and supportive of her family. She was perceived as the central person in her family in terms of keeping communication open between the family members. Whenever discord or tension arose within the home, Deborah was typically the member who brought about resolution and harmony. These traits served Deborah well in her adult life and, along with her wit, outgoing personality, and understanding of others, drew the admiration of many who knew her.

      As a young girl, Deborah was able to empathize and identify with a vast array of people and personality types. This quality drew her into a diverse group of friends and acquaintances. Deborah was intelligent and had little trouble getting along with her peers. She was almost always the first to jump in when it came to playing games or participating in other childhood activities. Deborah played volleyball in school. Deborah had the ability to find amusement with almost any activity she and the many childhood friends she shared might discover.

      During her high school years, Deborah responded enthusiastically to any new project and was regularly in search of one adventure after another. She graduated from Grandview High School in 1984. Deborah was a very good student, and generally did well in her courses. Deborah absorbed as much as she could from all of her teachers and was consistently able to tackle conceptual and abstract problems, using her imagination to master her assignments. For Deborah, school often became just an extension of playtime, thanks to her ability to turn just about anything into a game. Classmates considered Deborah a good listener, knowing that when necessary, they could go to her to discuss just about anything. Her favorite class in high school was video game design.

      With a talent for making acquaintances easily which in turn brought her an endless stream of friends, Deborah was very sociable and could blend without effort into any social group. Assertive and outgoing, Deborah was easy to know and demonstrated a deep concern for others. She always seemed aware of what was going on with people around her and throughout her life she made many, many friends. While growing up, some of her best friends were Stacey Shankles. Later in life, she became friends with Pamela Swark and Susan "Dutchess" Strong.

      On August 3, 1989 Deborah married Robert Dale Skaggs at The Little White Chapel in Las Vegas, Nevada. Deborah's skill at “building bridges” played an important role in her ability to make her new family happy. She was quite sensitive towards Robert's needs, showing her constant concern and fondness. Deborah was tenderhearted and sensitive, qualities that served her well in helping to nurture her family.

Deborah and Robert were blessed with 2 boys, Zachary and Matthew.  Deborah was a natural and creative parent who was willing to provide her family with all sorts of new and interesting experiences. For Deborah, parenting was a particularly enjoyable and pleasurable part of her life. Every activity, from chores to bedtime routines, became a game in the Skaggs home. Deborah's skill at understanding her children's feelings, her sensitivity to their needs, and her gift for gentle persuasion enabled her to find novel solutions to any problem or situation that might crop up. All of these attributes would come into play as Deb choose to homeschool her boys.

      Deborah was uplifted by new ideas and was excited by life’s possibilities, traits that made her an exceptional worker. Even though Deb considered her primary occupation as mother and homeschool teacher to her children, she was employed for McDonald's as a crew member. Deborah was enterprising, inventive and working against deadlines seemed to energize her. Deborah had the uncanny ability to identify a win/win solution to just about any problem, possibly because of her gift for insight. Deborah's fellow workers saw her as a supporter and a mentor.

      Because Deborah loved to have a broad variety of activities in her life, she took advantage of the opportunity to pursue numerous hobbies. Her favorite pursuits were crocheting, cooking and baking. She made a mean apple pie and super enchiladas. Deb also was a softball fan. She most enjoyed watching her son Matthew play softball with his Dad. Deborah had a knack for being able to multi-task in order to create time for all of her favorite pastimes. However, Deborah's ever-present concern for others always took precedent. To that end, Deb was an active member of a Librarian homeschool group. Keeping up with like minded families and new information was always an important agenda to keep.

      Deborah's love of improvising in her daily life was a perfect fit for her enjoyment of traveling. Her favorite vacations were ones that were not planned. Traveling in a casual manor fit her personality well. Excited about seeing changing scenery and constantly looking for the enjoyment life could offer, Deborah took her vacations seriously, well, as seriously as she possibly could. Favorite vacations included going to Branson with her family.

      Deborah was a lover of animals and cherished her pets, Molly, a yellow lab, Nikki, an Alaskan Malamute and Alli, a Russian Blue Cat. She had for Molly for 9 years, Nikki for 141\2 years and Alli for 10 years. Her family was rounded out by her cat, Oscar, Max, a chocolate lab and Pigger the guinea pig.

      Deborah Skaggs passed away on January 10, 2015 at Belton Regional Medical Center. She is survived by her husband Robert, sons, Zachary & Matthew and her siblings, Tony, Doug & Barb. Services were held at McGilley & George Funeral Home in Belton, Missouri.

      There was always a certain style and inventiveness to Deborah. She was a dynamic, self-expressive person who was forever looking to celebrate the endless possibilities life had to offer. She had a knack for being clever, creative and witty, and for others, was a joy to be around. While she was often fiercely independent, it seemed as if many others looked to Deborah Skaggs for inspiration, leadership, wisdom and even courage. Deborah was always more than willing to share life’s experiences with her loved ones.