Deborah "Debbie" Marie Brown Stapleton, beloved wife, mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, cousin, and friend, passed away at home on April 20. Debbie was born in Mobile, Alabama to George and Elsa Brown on August 2, 1957. After a brief stint in Toledo, Ohio, the family, which also included brother George A., returned to Mobile in 1963, moving into the Forest Hills neighborhood where Debbie would spend the remainder of her childhood, living across the street from her life-long best friend Cindy. Debbie graduated Shaw High school in 1975 and continued working at Brown and Keahey Automotive, where she would go on to manage the office for over 50 years, becoming close to her co-workers and their families.
In September 1979, Debbie married Wayne Stapleton and immediately moved into the house in Theodore where they would spend the next 44 years together and raise their son, Brian, alongside a close neighborhood of friends. Debbie loved photography, scrap booking, jigsaw puzzles, and reading. But more that that, she loved spending time with her friends and family, especially her grandchildren.
Debbie was an active volunteer for the Theodore High School Band for over 20 years, long after her son Brian graduated. She was a devout Catholic and an active member of Saint Vincent de Paul in Theodore, where she was the Catholic Christian Doctrine, Director of Religious Education for over 30 years.
Debbie was preceded in death by her parents, George and Elsa Brown, her mother- and father-in-law, Bootsie and Buddy, brother in-law Randy, and sister in-law, Starr; she's survived by her husband Wayne, son Brian (Sabrina), grandchildren Keely, Rylan, Ember, and Beckett, brother George A. Brown (Linda), brothers-in-law, Marty, Dan (Brenda) and David; nieces Kristin Brown, Alyson Kruse (Brian), and Aimee Brown, great nephews, Henry and Parker Kruse, and countless cousins and friends.
August 2, 1957 — April 20, 2024
A visitation will be held on the evening of Thursday April 25th, from 5-7 pm, at Mobile Memorial Gardens. A Mass of Christian Burial service will be held at 10:30 am on Friday, April 26th at Saint Vincent de Paul Catholic Church in Theodore, followed by interment in Mobile Memorial Gardens. Pallbearers will be Brant Stewart, J.D. Dyess, Ryan Hopkins, Les Brown, Johnny Miller, and Donnie Woodward.
