Deborah (Debby) Ann Stebel

Debby Stebel (Deborah Ann), 73, loving wife, mother, Gammy, sister, and friend, slipped from our loving arms into the deep and loving embrace of her Lord and Savior, Jesus, on Friday, October 24, 2025, surrounded by her family at her home in Belchertown, Massachusetts, after losing her battle with lung cancer. Our hearts are sorrowful, yet rejoicing, as she is now reunited in Heaven with her husband Rob, her baby Benjy, and all those she cherished who went before her. Though we, who are left behind, grieve her death, we rejoice in hope that we will be united again with her and with our Savior in Heaven. Debby will always be cherished and loved by those who were fortunate enough to know her. She was loving, kind, incredibly generous, and joyful. She adored her 8 grandchildren and they adored her fun-loving, playful spirit. She lived her life “breath to breath” and “sorrowful, yet rejoicing” since losing her beloved husband in 2009.

Debby was born in Moline, Illinois, on January 13, 1952, to John and Marilynn (Palmquist) Stone. She grew up in Rock Island, Illinois, and received a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education from Augustana College in Rock Island. She married Rob Stebel, also from Rock Island, on July 7, 1973. She is survived by her children Saul, Urbana, IL; Mitchell (Leslie Amacher) and children Jacob, Kaitlyn, and Caleb, Bloomington, IL; Brittany (Mark Burtness) and children Noah, James, Klara, and Adele, Belchertown, MA; Daniel (Megan Murray) and daughter Emma; sister Amy Wessel and brothers Steven, Gregory, Theodore, and David Stone. She is preceded in death by her husband Rob, four-day-old son, Benjy, and her parents, John and Marilynn.

Debby lived in Rock Island with her husband, Rob, until moving to Urbana, IL, in 1979. She was a stay-at-home mom until taking on the role of kindergarten teacher, followed by school administrator, in 1991 at Community Christian School in Urbana, which later became High Cross Christian. She viewed her role there as a ministry and poured her heart into all the children she instructed. She continued in this role until 2003 when she and her husband relocated to Sainte Genevieve, Missouri. Following her husband’s passing, she moved to Massachusetts to live with her daughter, Britta, and family and was an integral part of her grandchildren’s lives, blessing them beyond measure. Later, when her mother, Marilynn, needed full-time care, Debby lovingly and unselfishly devoted her time and life to caring for her until Marilynn’s passing at 100 years old at Debby’s home in Massachusetts on February 7, 2025. It was shortly after this that Debby received her cancer diagnosis and fought it bravely. She was blessed to be able to spend much of her last summer with family at her “Heaven on Earth”, family cabins on Lake Superior in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Debby was always the first to offer help or a ride when it was needed, and gave generously of her time, energy, and possessions to those around her. The void she left here on earth will forever be vast, but her beautifully lived life will leave comforting memories, and she will continue to live on in the hearts of all who were fortunate enough to know and be loved by her.

Donations for memorial gifts to plant a memorial garden and purchase a memorial bench for Debby and her husband Rob can be made via Venmo using @MJBJack or PayPal using @2britt

A Celebration of Life service will be held on November 9th at 5:30pm at Maple Ridge Church, 659 Amherst Rd., Sunderland, MA 01375.