CARMEL VALLEY

Debbie Neiman, age 79, passed away peacefully on August 16 in her Carmel Valley home. She was surrounded by family and aided by the remarkable nurses of The Hospice of the Central Coast.

Debbie was born in Canton, Ohio, home of the Football Hall of Fame, a fact that Debbie would make clear whether you were interested or not. She attended McKinley High School, followed by Capital University in Bexley, Ohio. She moved to Chicago in 1967, teaching third grade on the west side of Chicago. She and her students were caught in the middle of the 1968 riots which broke out following the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Debbie was the 'hostess with the mostest.' Her parties were legendary. She hosted family reunions every year, feeding 30 people 3 meals per day for 5 days, always smiling. Her Christmas Eve parties were the hottest ticket in town. She loved bridge, tennis, and hikes, as long as she didn't have to sleep in a tent. She loved rollercoasters, dancing (more than once on a tabletop), making wine cakes, CSI, horror movies and word puzzles, Mick Jagger, cheeseburgers and Michigan Sunsets. Downhill skiing, not so much.

Debbie had legions of friends: the Tennis Ladies, the Bridge Group, her hiking buddies, the Book Club Ladies, the crew at the Discovery Shop. Her kids' friends thought she was the coolest mom in town. Her home was their home. She didn't have an enemy on earth. She was an extraordinary woman.

Debbie is survived by her 2 children, Cary (Missy) and Amy, her 2 grandchildren, Uzi and Trey, her husband Cary, and by her brother Dan. Debbie was preceded in death by her sister Judy and brothers Bob and Elmer.

She has many, many in-laws, nieces, nephews and cousins. Every one of them loved her and will miss her.

If you wish to honor her memory, Debbie was devoted to Foster Parents Plan, (plan-international.org) and the Discovery Shop of the American Cancer Society in Pacific Grove (cancer.org).

A casual celebration of Debbie's life will take place at 4:00 pm Sunday, Sept. 22 at Los Laureles Lodge, 313 West Carmel Valley Road, Carmel Valley, CA. An additional celebration of her life will take place in Chicago this fall.