Debra Joann Goman

Debbie was born Debra Smith on June 24, 1953, in London, Ontario, Canada, to Joe and Ione Smith. She grew up in East Wenatchee, Washington, alongside her sisters, Kathy and Kristy, and graduated from Eastmont High School in 1971. She later served in the United States Navy and remained proud of her service and of being a disabled veteran.

Throughout her life, Debbie worked in a variety of jobs, including at Leilani Lanes and Evergreen Lanes bowling centers and as a quality control technician in construction. But no job title could adequately describe her. Debbie was fiercely independent, remarkably resilient, quick-witted, sarcastic, generous, and very, very funny. She was a fighter her entire life and met obstacle after obstacle with a determination that was uniquely hers.

In 1997, Debbie met LuAnn Moore. They married on October 4 of that year and spent the next 29 years building a life together filled with laughter, sarcasm, sports, travel, family, and friendship. They were longtime Seattle Storm season-ticket holders, spent countless Sundays watching football, and traveled to Hawaii several times, with Kauai becoming a particular favorite. Debbie was happiest with her toes in the sand, and Hawaii remained her happy place.

Debbie loved to travel, whether the destination was Hawaii, Paris, or a fishing trip in Canada. With Debbie, even ordinary trips had a way of becoming stories worth telling later.

And Debbie could tell a story.

She was quick with a comeback, fluent in sarcasm, and capable of swearing with a proficiency that those who loved her could only admire. Her family laughed constantly with her, accumulating so many inside jokes that outsiders rarely had a chance of keeping up.

Music was always playing in Debbie's life and in the home where her children grew up. Tina Turner was her favorite, with “Simply the Best” holding a special place in her heart. Debbie also loved theater and shared her love of music, performance, and laughter with the people around her.

She loved crafting, gardening, decorating, baking, and making things beautiful. When her children were young, she spent hours creating homemade Halloween costumes. Her garden was meticulously tended. Christmas was especially important to her, a love she inherited from her dad. She filled the house with decorations and music and baked for the people she loved.

Every family has its sacred holiday traditions, and in Debbie's family, one of them arrived in a giant yellow bowl. Her famous orange Jell-O salad—especially beloved by her son Joe—appeared at every holiday, always in that same bowl.

Debbie was also, unquestionably, a crazy chicken lady. She never actually got the chickens she wanted, but that minor technicality did nothing to diminish her enthusiasm. She collected chicken knickknacks, including the memorably irreverent duo Buck and Gladys. Her family likes to think that wherever Debbie is now, she has finally gotten her chicken coop.

Above everything else, though, Debbie loved her people.

She was the ultimate Momma Bear. If one of her children needed her—or if someone had treated them unfairly—she was there. Immediately. She was the kind of mother who showed up at school with a forgotten lunch and the kind of grandmother who picked her grandchildren up from kindergarten every day. She was enormously proud of the people she loved and made sure they knew it. She loved her grandchildren, Zeke and Grace, completely and delighted in being their grandma.

She was also the mom her children's friends wished they had. Her generosity and kindness extended far beyond her immediate family, and she collected friends throughout her life, including many made during years spent bowling. People were drawn to Debbie's humor, loyalty, warmth, and unmistakable personality.

Debbie believed deeply in fairness and in the dignity of others. Fiercely independent and never afraid to stand her ground, she was also willing to listen, learn, and change when it mattered. She believed everyone deserved to be accepted for who they were and to have the chance at a safe, happy, and fulfilled life. She loved unconditionally and never stopped growing.

That was Debbie: strong enough to fight, stubborn enough to stand her ground, and loving enough to change it when it mattered.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Joe and Ione Smith. She is survived by her wife and partner of 29 years, LuAnn Moore; her children, Kelly Mezich and Joe Goman; her son-in-law, Jason Mezich; her grandchildren, Zeke and Grace Mezich; her sisters, Kathy Prazer and Kristy Williamson; and the many friends and family members whose lives are immeasurably better—and considerably funnier—because Debbie was part of them.

Through it all, Debbie gave the world the best of herself. She loved fiercely, laughed loudly, fought hard, gave generously, kept an exceptionally clean house, swore spectacularly, and never stopped showing up for the people she loved.

Her family will miss all of it.