Deborah Jeanne Remick, aged 76, passed away at UCSF Medical Center on April 26, 2024, with her son Cory by her side. She was born on Nov. 5, 1947, in San Francisco, California.
From a young age Debby was a woman of strong faith. Her faith was a central part of her life, and she found great comfort in God’s unconditional love for her (John 3:16). Through her faith, she was able to show love to others and share God’s love with them.
She dedicated much of her time during her teenage and adult years to serving others, particularly through outreach and women’s ministries as a member of the Seventh Day Adventist Church.
Over time, she became involved with the Seventh Day Baptist, Messianic Jewish Alliance of America, and Jewish Community Centers communities.
She and her husband led a messianic congregation, Beth Messiah, in Santa Barbara from 1996-2008 through the MJAA. They celebrated and taught others about the Jewish roots of the Christian faith.
Debby’s goal in life was to share the Good News and love of Jesus Christ with others, knowing that we will all meet our Creator face to face one day. This was important to her regardless of an individual’s background, religion, or belief system.
Debby, who comes from a long line of Seventh Day Adventists on her maternal side, observed the Saturday Sabbath and was a vegetarian for a large part of her life.
Debby attended Atlantic Union College in Lancaster, Massachusetts, where she studied nursing and met her husband Ralph. They had their first date on Valentine’s Day in 1966, a day that remained very special to Debby throughout the decades.
Debby and Ralph were initially married married on Nov. 18, 1967, in a civil ceremony in Brookline, New Hampshire, followed by a church wedding in Massacusetts on June 2, 1968. The ceremony was officiated by Debby’s father-in-law, a Seventh Day Adventist minister.
Debby had a successful nursing career that took her across several states, including Massachusetts, Texas, Colorado and California. Throughout her time as an emergency room nurse, she provided quality care and compassion to all those she cared for.
In the final years of her career, she transitioned to working in oncology where she found deep fulfillment and great purpose in engaging in spiritual conversations with her patients.
Debby and her husband made their home in California after his return from Vietnam. They resided in Santa Barbara for almost 40 years, where their sons were born and raised. In 2009, they retired to Grass Valley, California, where Debby spent the final 15 years of her life.
Debby’s interests included reading, listening to music, cooking, and most of all sewing and creating quilts. The quilted heirlooms she made, along with the cherished memories of her, are greatly treasured by those blessed enough to have received them.
Her warm smile, caring nature, sense of humor, and the immense love she showed in both joyous and difficult times, are deeply missed by her friends and family.
Debby is survived by her husband of 56 years, Ralph Remick of Grass Valley; her son and daughter-in-law Cory (Susan) Remick of Santa Barbara; three grandchildren Jonathan, Adam and Hannah; son Kurt Remick of Grass Valley; brother Michael Diamond of Loveland, Colorado; sister-in-law Bona Mooklar (née Remick) of Prescott, Arizona; along with many extended relatives and numerous friends in both Santa Barbara and Grass Valley.
A memorial service to honor and remember Debby’s life will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday, June 2 at the Nevada County Jewish Community Center on Walsh Street in Grass Valley. All those who knew and loved Debby are invited to attend.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Debby’s memory to the Santa Barbara Rescue Mission or the nonprofit organization of your choice.