Barbara Joanne Deboi March 1, 1934 - December 7, 2012 Barbara was raised in the small farming community of Rolla, North Dakota, located five miles south of the Canadian border. Being from Midwestern farming roots, she approached the world in a pragmatic manner. Above all, she was an extremely gentle person, pure in spirit and loving to her family and friends. It was her nature never to be the center of attention; she would most likely stand to the side, listening and evaluating a situation and then offer gentle advice and guidance without judgment. Selfless, she was generous and charitable with her time to others and to the church. It was 16 years ago when she lost her beloved husband Don to Leukemia. Married for 40 years they raised their son Jeff and traveled the world together. Solid and steadfast they learned and engaged the world with compassion, humility and curiosity. As cousin Scott once quipped, they were "The Butch Cassidy and Sundance Kid of the family". If you entered their household the first thing you would notice would be books. Bookshelves replaced paintings on the walls. Learning was paramount in their lives and their collection was broad in scope. Poetry, philosophy, biographies, religion and much more lined the shelves. In Barbara's latter years it became difficult to make her bed because of the amount of books that rested next to her. Upon visiting their household, the second thing you would notice would be her expansive garden. Brother Doug and wife Paula commented that Barbara "did not have a green thumb, but a green hand." Accompanied by her faithful dog Jenny, she would spend countless hours per day tending to her Garden of Eden. Preceded by her loving husband Don Deboi and parents Norval and Myra MacKay; sisters Beverly Hall, Betty Pope, Janice Skovholt; niece Lisa Skovholt and nephew Scott MacKay all from North Dakota. Barbara is survived by her loving son Jeff and her siblings Bill, Ronald, Jan, Doug, and Paula of North Dakota. She also leaves behind nephew Gary Deboi and wife Katrina of Quincy California and nephews Scott and Rick of Vallejo. Family and friends are invited to attend a visitation on Thursday, December 13, 2012 from 6:00-8:00 P.M. at Keaton's Redwood Chapel located at 1801 Novato Blvd, Novato CA 94947. A memorial service will be held on Friday, December 14, 2012 at 11:00 A.M. at the Novato United Methodist Church, 1473 S. Novato Blvd, Novato CA 94947. In addition, the burial will take place at Valley Memorial, 650 Bugeia Lane, Novato CA 94945. As an expression of sympathy, memorial contributions in Barbara's memory are preferred by the family to be sent to the Marin Humane Society, 171 Bel Marin Keys Blvd, Novato CA 94949. 415-883-4621.
SHARE OBITUARY
v.1.8.18