Deborah A. Worthen

.Deborah Worthen (63) of Mechanicsburg passed away on January 29, 2014. She was born December 9, 1950 in Johnstown, PA as Deborah Anne Sapolich, daughter of George and Ana Sapolich. After graduating from high school in 1968, she held a variety of jobs in her early adulthood until she attended nursing school in the mid-70s. She nursed at several state MH/MR facilities, then moved to State College, PA to work at the Dermatology Associates until 1984, when she gave birth to her son, Matthew P. Gryctko. She attended The Pennsylvania State University and majored in Education, graduating with honors and Magna Cum Laude in May 1993. In June 1993, she married Byron S. Worthen, Jr. They moved to the Camp Hill area in early 1996 and she obtained a full time contract as a fifth grade teacher in the West Shore District's Fishing Creek Elementary School where she taught from 1998 to 2012, when the progression of ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease) forced her to retire. She obtained her Master's Degree in Science Education in 2001 from Lebanon Valley College. She attended church at Trindle Spring Lutheran in Mechanicsburg. She loved all sorts of graphic arts, including calligraphy, photography, interior decorating, pencil sketches, and others. She also loved hiking in the woods. Her favorite place was Ricketts Glen. She is survived by her husband, Byron S. Worthen, Jr of Mechanicsburg, son Matthew P. Gryctko of State College, step-daughter Sandra K. Worthen of Harleyville, step-son Byron S. Worthen III and his wife, Rebecca and their children Bradley, Haley, Alyssa, and Megan of O'Fallon, MO, her mother, Ana Sapolich, her brothers Richard and David Sapolich, her sisters Linda Nesmith of Johnstown and Gigi Richmond of Ft. Worth, TX . Memorial services will be held at 2:00 PM Sunday, February 2, 2013 in the Neill Funeral Home, 3401 Market Street, Camp Hill, PA. Visitation will be from 1:00 PM to time of service. In lieu of flowers, please donate to the ALS organization at www.alsphiladelphia.org. There are a lot of exciting new research methods being explored that are more cost effective and offer the potential for cures for not only ALS, but Alzheimer's and some cancers.