Debbie " Deb " Herron

Debbra Lynn (Cox) Sims Herron 1-25-66 ~ 10-01-10 Debbie was born to James G. and Patricia Ann (Sparks) Cox. She was the 4th of 5 children. She was raised in Cashmere where she attended school. Debbie had two sons, Justin P. Sims and Brandon C. Sims. Her family was completed with the addition of her wonderful step daughter Cherie E. (Herron) Gasbar in 1991 when she married the love of her life Kevin W. Herron. They were married on March 3, 1991 in Wenatchee, and have lived in and around our beautiful valley since then. She loved flowers and gardening with a special interest in creating beds with rusty old metal objects. She enjoyed horseback riding, camping with family and spending as much time as possible in the hills, admiring the views of our lovely valley. When she was young, she was given a horse by her stepfather, Roy Proctor, and thus began a lifetime of loving horses. She was interested in all aspects of horse ownership, from breeding to raising and training. When her mare foaled, she slept in the barn for days, waiting. But most of all she loved riding her horse up in the hills and was fond of saying, "The best place on earth is on the back of a horse in the beautiful hills". She loved riding in the drill team, Tillicum Riders. She had a look of sheer delight on her face while she was doing those daring maneuvers on horseback. One of the hardest things for her to give up was her favorite horse, Reno; it was absolutely heart wrenching, but when she could no longer be sure of staying on him, she had to stop riding. She found all her horses special homes before she would let them go. If she was worried about one, she would buy it back and bring it home. She always had a knack with animals. One of her earlier jobs was at the Humane Society. Kevin tells of her 'talking down' a Pit Bull, when no one else would/could do anything with it. She climbed up in the back of a truck with it, put on a leash and led it out. She was proud of her choice to go back to college in 1999. She took classes one at a time, while continuing to work at the Wenatchee Valley Medical Center, to accomplish her goal. In June of 2004, she graduated from Wenatchee Valley College as a Registered Nurse. It was a long road, but she made it! Debbie enjoyed camping with family. It was especially joyous when Kevin's brother and sisters and families were along. She loved the campfire, beach, lake side or anywhere we could all be together. Everyone loved Deb's smile. She was always such good company, and was always up for a challenge. Deb especially liked to go crabbing with the family. She was looking forward to our outing this year, and actually did go for a couple of days. No one realized how much effort it took for her to do the things she did. She always said, "I'm one tough cookie". Well, we all knew that. She gave us all lessons in courage. Below is the 'thank you letter' she sent out in March of 2009 to all the people who helped before she had to go to Seattle Cancer Care Alliance for Stem Cell transplant in September of 2008. "Cancer" - a word that is terrifying to us all. Wondering what your future holds, fighting to hold on with chemotherapy and or radiation and trying to maintain a normal routine, you think about family, friends and employers. How am I going to tell them? How are they going to react? Will I be able to keep my job? These are all questions that go through your mind. At times you feel like you are alone and need to take on the fight without any backup. Well, that is not true. This last year I had a relapse of my non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, which turned into an aggressive form. It was resistant to the chemo and I needed to travel to Seattle's Cancer Care Alliance to receive further treatment. This treatment is expensive and we had a cap on our insurance plan. With the help of many friends and one very special lady, Toya Smith, whose endless support and energy went into arranging fundraisers, we were able to afford this much-needed treatment. This community has been amazing. The generosity of the people of the Wenatchee Valley and the outlying areas has been overwhelming and we are touched. Kevin and I are so extremely grateful and feel blessed to have been supported by folks we know and some we have never met. We would like to thank our families, Bruce and Toya Smith, Shelly Halverson, co-workers of both Kevin and myself, the MDs and staff of Wenatchee Valley Medical Center, Wenatchee Anesthesia Associates, Appleatchee Riders and the Sunshine Club, Tillicum rider members and the drill team, Ryan Taylor with North Country Rider magazine, Cowboy Mounted Shooters, Bruce and Marci Thorn from Valley Feed Store, Countryside Vet Clinic, Sav-Mart, Willies Sports Bar and Grill, Highlander Golf Course, Wenatchee Country Club and Golf Course, Alissa Strutzel and the Jiffy Java baristas, Chelan County Fair, our local radio stations, Archie and Marlys Brown for the blanket raffle, Tylar and Christy Kooy, our neighbors and everyone who donated items for the yard sale, gave up their time to help out with the fundraisers, said prayers, wished us well and donated financially. We wish we could say thank you personally to each and every one who helped us through our journey and share how much we appreciate everyone and their kindness. Debbie and Kevin Herron Debbie requested to stay at home for the end of her life; and to help her do this, her generous friends once again came forward. She was fiercely independent, and we had to be careful not to hover too much, but her coworkers from the Surgical Department at Wenatchee Valley Hospital took shifts coming in to care for her until Kevin came home. Aiding greatly in this effort was her friend Shelley Frei, RN from Moscow, ID, who stayed at the home with her 24 hours a day for nearly a week. Our gratitude also goes to our favorite RN's Shelley Bolanos, Mary Kerr, Christy Kooy, and Toya Smith. Cherie's dedication to her step-mom Debbie was gratifying and beautiful to see. We would also like to thank Hospice Nurses (Trish, Trisha and Patti) Social Worker Alisha and the Physicians and Staff of Wenatchee Valley Medical Center for their loving care. To all the neighbors who brought flowers, baked goods, food, cards, called or just stopped by to say hello and give a hug, Thank you so much. Thank you, Jim Cox Sr. for mowing the lawn for 3 weeks, so Kevin could have more time with her. Debbie leaves behind Kevin, her husband of nearly 20 years; son Justin and his wife Amee and their son Maison; son Brandon; step daughter Cherie, her husband Michael, and their future baby, and "Max". Her mother Patricia Cox; father Jim Cox Sr. and wife Bonnie; step father Roy Proctor; brothers Jim Cox Jr, Dennis Cox, Doug Cox; sister Aime Horan; and their families; her mother and father-in-law, Barbara and Dewayne Herron, Tj and James Lacy, Craig and Tina Herron, Lisa and Michael Pickett; niece and nephews, Shannon, Marty, James, Dustin, Merrick and Brennan. Two young people, near and dear to her heart were Chris Skoglun and Chanda Takacs, who were likely to call her "Mom". She is sorely missed by her "Max"; the little Schnauzer was her constant companion during his 3 years of life. Now he has a home with "Maddie", the Schnoodle who was Kevin and Deb's gift to Barb and Dewayne Herron who kept Max when Deb had to be in Seattle for treatment or in the hospital. A Celebration of Her Life will be held on Saturday, October 23rd at Squilchuck State Park Lodge, 2805 Squilchuck Road, Wenatchee, WA. (about 9 mi. South of Wenatchee- follow signs to Mission Ridge- See Park on left) At Debbie's request this will be a "Pot-Luck" from 1 PM till 4 PM In lieu of flowers, she requests a donation in her name to "Our House" Cancer Care of NC Washington, 1708 Castlerock, Wenatchee, WA 98801, for the care of future Cancer patients in need.

Debbie " Deb " Herron

January 25, 1966 - October 1, 2010