I found myself divorced at the ripe ol age of 20 and so I ran away from life for awhile to become a Nanny-which brought me to New Jersey and a new start.

-I had been there for about a month honestly questioning my life’s choices and  not knowing anyone but the little family I nannied for,  when out of the blue, Annie from Annie’s Nannies (the agency I went through) called to tell me that a girl also from Washington, about my age had just arrived to Nanny for a family about 20 minutes away from where I was. She gave me this “girl’s”phone number, told me to give her a couple of weeks to settle in and then maybe give her a call. After about a month of going stir crazy, I finally got the nerve to make that call and on the other end was Debbie.  

That was 39 years ago.

At that time I literally was broken and had forgotten how to have fun…I truly believe Debbie was meant to come into my life. She taught me how to live again and more importantly, how to smile again…every second spent with her was a wild crazy adventure. 

After that initial phone call, we spent every second we could together when not working. We got paid every Friday and would take the late train from New Jersey into New York City…(something I would never have done on my own) We’d stay out all night-living & laughing, trying to get into clubs-she would make up fake names for us and have a back story to tell people of why we were in New York & every weekend we would have different names and different stories-she would tape record our adventures on our portable Walkmans & talk to anyone and everyone. The next morning we would get a room at the YMCA, sleep for a few hours then hit the streets again, spending every cent we made each week on fake designer clothing and yummy food and then take the late train back. One time we missed the train and had to hitch hike- (Debbie’s idea) it’s crazy we ever survived those reckless wonderful adventures-

We tried ice skating for the first time at Rockefeller Plaza, then bought ice skates the next weekend and skated in Central Park every weekend after that-(we were so cool) 

I still have those skates and decorate with them every Christmas -this Christmas they will mean something more 

On the rare occasions we weren’t in New York City, we would have sleepovers & go to our favorite Chinese restaurant and get egg rolls & Häagen-Dazs ice cream at a local market  (she kept one empty ice cream container to put all of her chewed up gum in it, her goal was to fill it completely by the time she left Jersey-so random and so weird and so very wonderful just like Debbie) We’d stay up all night and play Uno, watch MTV and dance and talk and dream about what we wanted to be when we grew up-and laugh till we cried.  We loved the same music and lived for dancing and dressing up-we made mixed tapes for each other-we lived for the music. 

We borrowed an old Pinto car from this pizza guy who had a crush on me and were determined to drive to the Jersey shore, got lost a million times along the way  (waaaay before cell phones) and half way there the muffler fell off and a car full of random guys tied the muffler back on with some rope and we continued our VERY noisy drive and eventually made it to the shore-took a few pictures and had to immediately drive back in order make it back to work on time. 

We had a full year in New Jersey together before our Nanny contracts came to an end and the time we spent together was filled with “did we just do that?” kind of adventures. Memories that I will cherish. 

We each returned home to Washington-me on the East side and her on the West. We would make time to visit and met each others families. We even lived together in Bremerton for awhile. 

Debbie and I remained friends over the years-through the ups and downs and wonder and heartbreak that life threw at us-but no matter how much time that  passed without talking or seeing each other, it was always just like time would stand still and we’d reminisce about all of those crazy times we had. 

Who knew that a random phone call would be the start of a lifelong friendship? 

I will be forever grateful that Annie from Annie’s Nannies brought us together and that I had the nerve to call & how blessed I am that Debbie was on the other end.  She literally came in to my life and made it better-

Deb da do wop…thank you for our friendship and for the hundreds of memories and fun and laughter and joy and love you so freely gave. You made me a better person just to have known you. 

Hraaaaaa-herrrrrrr….

Kristy Yost McAllister 

1985 - Timberline High School - Debbie Stevens was my first girlfriend and at 16 , a lifetime of events happened in that 8 month relationship .  We are the same age (57). I haven’t seen her since high school , we chatted briefly a couple of times via Facebook to say hi. 

 At 16 the world was huge and exciting. I owe the spelling of my name to her . My parents pronounced it Baurice, but spelled it differently making it almost impossible to pronounce. Debbie suggested the current spelling and it’s been this way ever since. We went to school dances together, 2 formal ones and lots after the games. We made secret code words so no one knew what were saying , we had a secret handshake , we listened to tons of Duran Duran , Adam Ant, and her favorite The Psychedelic Furs.

 Debbie was a true New Wave Punk Rocker. Her mom let us cook dinner “beef stroganoff” one time , only because for some reason, Debbie thought that that word was funny. She always wore converse and wanted red ones for Christmas. We had an insanely stupid dramatic break up and then our lives went on for each of us. 

 That small piece of time in my life was an amazing time growing up . Music was everything , my complete identity, and still is to some degree. I am happy Debbie was a piece of that time for me and I am sad to learn she is gone. My thoughts are with the current people who knew and loved her in her life. I am sure she will be deeply missed by her family and friends .  I have posted a couple of photos of the Debbie I knew.     ~ Baurice

Beautiful Debbie,

Thank you for helping our little family so much with your sensitive and caring soul. 

Love,

The Shaws

So sorry for your loss.  She had a vibrant personality and was always fun to talk with.

I became friends with her in Lacey wa. In 6th grade and used to hang out with the family all the time as she was my neighbor... She was always fun and exciting to be around. She will be sorely missed. Prayers and condolences to everyone... GOD bless 

I am shocked, sad, and so very sorry to hear about your Mom. She was a brilliant, beautiful, kind, and caring woman! She made everything look easy with all her logic and systems. The LOVE she had for all of her children was immense ❤️ 

I hope each of you hang tight to your memories and hold her in your hearts for ever!

Hugs and great LOVE, Ms. Lisa