Emma May DeBey passed on to be with her Lord on Sunday, Jan. 13, 2019. She was born in Lyons, Kan., on April 18, 1930, to Verna and Harry Blackwill. Emma had a love of music and was an accomplished soloist, pianist and organist.
She married Cecil DeBey on March 20, 1949, and lived most of her life in the Greeley-Windsor area. She gave birth to three sons and a daughter. Emma was active as a Methodist youth group leader with her husband in Greeley and gave piano lessons to many young people over the years in Greeley and Windsor and was a homemaker.
They moved to a farm west of Greeley in 1967. She joined the First United Methodist Church of Windsor where she sang with the church choir and loved having all of her children at one time or another singing in the choir with her. Emma was hired as the church organist in 1985 and retired in 2012 after 27 years of service.
Emma moved to Greeley after her divorce from Cecil, with whom she has kept a friendship over the years. She continued to share her talent as a piano teacher and accompanist for school children choirs, orchestra and band groups as well as the Greeley Women's Choir and the Keenagers. She was an active member of the TOPS group in Greeley.
Emma was preceded in death by her son, Tom DeBey; and her parents.
She is survived by her sister's Louise Herman, and Verleen Jones; and brother, Delwin Blackwill; children, Hank (Mino) DeBey, Chris DeBey, and Ann (Tom) Heardt; daughter-in-law, Sue DeBey (Tom's wife); nine grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Her kind and caring ways will be remembered and missed by many.
A celebration of her life will be held at 1 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 9, 2019, at First United Methodist Church of Windsor, 503 Walnut St, Windsor, Colo. 80550.
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