Deborah Ann "Debi" Hopkins

April 28, 1953 — July 31, 2026

Debi Arnold, 73, of Boulder, Colorado, passed away peacefully on July 31, 2026, surrounded by her three daughters, after a short battle with cholangiocarcinoma, a cancer of the bile ducts.

Debi was warmth and laughter wrapped into one, the kind of person who made whatever room she walked into feel a little more like home.

Debi was born Deborah Ann Arnold on April 28, 1953, in Boulder, and was raised there alongside her brothers, Bill and Stan. She grew up with a love of the mountains. Camping, four-wheeling, and fishing were part of who she was from an early age. She was the daughter of William G. “Bill” Arnold, Jr. and Frances Marie “Fran” Chisholm Arnold, who were well known and highly active in the Boulder community, and she grew up loving being part of that world. Being from Boulder was central to who she was throughout her life, and everyone who loved her knew how deeply she loved her hometown.

Debi attended Mesa State College in Grand Junction, where she earned her associate's degree in nursing, and went on to work as a registered nurse at Valley View Hospital in Glenwood Springs. She loved being a nurse, and it was work that stayed close to her heart for the rest of her life.

Debi married her high school sweetheart, Bill Hopkins, and together they had three daughters: Rebecca “Becca”, Tara, and Miah. After becoming a mother in 1976, Debi left nursing and moved back home to Boulder to raise her girls. She and Bill later divorced in and in the years that followed, Debi built a life centered around being a mother. She never met a hobby she didn't want to master, becoming a gourmet cook, a cake decorator, a floral arranger, and a gardener, throwing herself wholeheartedly into new projects. Guided by her own love of horses she spent many happy years alongside her daughter Miah in horse activities, never happier than when surrounded by horses and the people who loved them. She was lighthearted and fun-loving, always ready to laugh and she loved to sing.

Debi is survived by her three daughters and their families: Rebecca “Becca”, married to Chad Armstrong, and their daughters Emma and Grace; Tara, married to Conner Veblan, and their daughters Teagan and Lochlyn; and Miah, married to Justin Sack, and their children Payton, Heidi, and Molly. She is also survived by her brothers, Bill (Cathy) and Stan (Jennifer) Arnold. Debi was a doting grandmother to seven grandchildren and great-grandmother to one great-grandson, Kash, with a great-granddaughter, Karsyn, expected to arrive soon.

Debi was preceded in death by her parents, William G. “Bill” Arnold, Jr. and Frances Marie “Fran” Chisholm Arnold.

Debi will be remembered for her deep love of family, love of her Boulder roots, and the joyful spirit she brought into every room she entered.

A Celebration of Life will be held August 29th at 2pm at the Aspen Lodge at 16151 Lowell Blvd Broomfield, CO 80023.