Deborah Anne (Reed) Willoughby (Service rescheduled)

SERVICE RESCHEDULED TO WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2024

A loving wife to Carl Willoughby and mother of two sons, Christopher and Dale, Deborah Willoughby passed away on December 23, 2024, after a multi-year battle with cancer.  Deb was a practical woman who was well-organized, intelligent, and curious about everything.  She was a joy around with her sense of humor and her ability to get things done.

Deb was predeceased by her parents, Stanley and Dixie Reed.  As her father was a career Air Force and Marine serviceman, Deb grew up in Savannah, Georgia and Dover, Delaware.  She graduated from Caesar Rodney High School in 1973 after which she began her 45+ year career with the state of Delaware starting as a co-op student with the State Personnel Office.  During her tenure with the state, she worked as a human resource generalist, a human resource specialist, and manager with the Department of Health and Service Services and the Department of Human Resources.  She was an instrumental part of the HR team that developed and implemented the State’s automated, integrated HR, benefits, and payroll system, PHRST, returning to the State’s central HR department in January of 1999.  Retiring from State service in December in 2002, Deb then returned as a casual/seasonal HR employee in the HR department in June of 2003 and worked periodically for HR and statewide benefits until April of 2018.  She also worked for H & R Block during tax season.  In addition, she and her husband operated a vending machine business for 12 years. 

Deb and her husband, Carl married in June 1974.  Carl’s sense of humor, coupled with Deb’s gave them a life together full of laughs despite the regular ups and downs of any family.  They have two sons, Christopher and Dale (Candace).  Together they enjoyed many family trips to Florida.  Deb and Carl have four grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews.

Deb was a hearty, traditional cook, preparing her family’s favorite dishes for holidays.  She now leaves that task to the younger folks of the family.  She and Carl and their children loved animals and had several beloved pets that enriched their lives (Lady, Lady of Camden, Buddy, and Nick).  Deb loved gardening, sewing, and crafting.  She was also an avid reader so much so that she had to switch from handheld books to a Kindle reader so as not to run out of space on their bookshelves.

In April 2024, Carl and Deb traveled to Hawaii, a place Deb had always dreamed of visiting where they enjoyed Hawaiian hospitality and culture.

In addition to her husband and sons mentioned above, Deb leaves a sister, Karen Ridgeway (Robert) and numerous nieces and nephews and several dear friends who along with her family, will miss her deeply and will hold her in their hearts forever.

PLEASE NOTE CHANGE OF DATE DUE TO WEATHER

A funeral service for Deborah will take place on Wednesday, January 8, 2025, at 1:00pm at Pippin Funeral Home.  The family will receive friends two hours prior.  The burial will follow the funeral service at Odd Fellows Cemetery in Camden.  Following the burial, a reception will take place at the Camden-Wyoming Fire Company, 200 E. Camden Wyoming Ave. Camden, DE 19934. 

Contributions in Deb’s memory may be made to Delaware Hospice ( https://delawarehospice.org/donate/ ) or to your local SPCA.

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