Deborah Kaye Kowalski

What a beautiful tribute to a beautiful woman. Debbie's mom Leslie is my husband Larry who passed cousin. I'm sorry for your loss. I hadn't seen Debbie in a very long time but i remember her a a beautiful young lady full of energy and life. Cherish your memories. They will get you through the tough times .Bless you all real good. :)

I knew my cuz Deb my whole life and have way too many memories to share. I've enjoyed reading everyone's stories. Like me, everyone that knew her really felt loved and special. She had a sense of adventure, overwhelming energy and a positive attitude. She always loved music. When we were little, our familys got together and the adults played music. Elroy played accordion. My parents played guitar, and anyone else could play spoons or bongos. One night me, Deb, and our cousin Michelle decided we wanted to learn to play guitar. My parents taught us about 5 cords, gave us the "big blue book" of songs and we did our best with that.
When we were apart we would write letters
In the old days before cell phones and texting. I recently found the letters that I saved from her. There was 95 of them. I still haven't read it all, but the ones I read made me feel like she was her younger self right there in the room. She wrote like she talked. She was so silly and made me laugh. The letters were mostly about boys, songs she liked and things that were going on in her life at the time. Sometimes in the middle of a sentence she would write the words to a song she liked that was playing on the radio. If she didn't know all the words she would write "Doo Doo Doo......." sometimes she would write the songs down in the margins surrounded by music notes. When we were little Delta Dawn was one we sang alot. And of course Teddy Bear. (I still sing that one to my grandkids). One of my funniest memories of her is when we were in our teens and just the two of us went down to uncle Elroy's cabin on the river. It was dark when we got there. She couldn't find the key to get in and we had to pee, so we squatted down there on the top on the hill. She was rocking back and forth singing when. "WHOA" she yelled out as she tipped over and started rolling down the hill. All I could see is her white butt in the moonlight as she rolled down the hill. "AAAAAAH",she's yelling the whole time.
Then it was silent for a second. Then she yells out," I PEED ALL OVER MYSELF!" Deb was anything but boring. Whenever we got together we would laugh till our tummies hurt. I can't believe she's gone. I see her again. It's been too long. I want to hug her and laugh with her about the silly thing we did. I fortunate that I had those good times with her. I will carry all those memories with me till we meet again i Love you and I will miss you my cuzzy
wuzzy.💕💕💕

I will always remember walking to kindergarten the second day of school (our mom's walked us the first day) it was just a straight walk to school and we got lost because we took a detour cause Deb saw a witches broom sitting outside a trailer so of course we had to investigate well we started going up to the trailer and we heard a sound so we took off running and we ran the wrong way. We got lost and the school had called our mom's so they came looking for us and found us but Deb always tried to say i got us lost but it was not me and it's been a inside joke ever since. When she used to walk down to my house with her dog JoJo. Many memories at silver lake. One day we were going to silver lake and we were in Elroys truck Debs dad and there were 4 of us in the cab and my foot was on the gas peddle and we just started flying and Debs yelling my gas peddle is stuck well it wasn't it was my foot. These are things we laughed about all the time. Deb I miss you so much. When ever we got together it was always so much laughing and our kids all grew up together thinking there related. So many memories playing cowboys and Indians downstairs at Debs. I could go on and on. I love you Deb till we meet again.

The week before you left us ... this dang song kept coming in my head in the morning. "I wish I was a Teddy Bear" I have scribbled thoughts about you since. But, I can't articulate in words how you have impacted the lives you came across. I simply have various memories that are all good. Seeing you walk down the sidewalk in Lynnwood to your guitar lessons when you were about 14 was a breath of inspiration. The big first kiss on your front porch with the unsuspecting guy who didn't know that Susie, me and others were witnessing from our windows just across the street. You and Susie playing phone communications with Dixie cups and strings from the windows. Just shed fun in my complicated teenage years. Although you are in to pink, Your aura is totally sunshine yellow. You've lit so many rooms and places with positive energy. Your laughter and grand easy smile shall always remain here and there. Over the past years we all have been busy. But, there are small things that become big. Simply, you putting cinnamon in your pot of coffee that you shared with us before an outing. That was such a treat. And, meticulously cleaning each and every leaf on my silk ficus leaf tree with love about 4 years ago. This tree becomes a Christmas tree each year. And, this year, A new ornament will adorn it. In your name and spirit. I see you as a fighting victorious old soul with traces of Dolly Pardon and Goldie Hawn...Miss Victorian woman clothed in pink full of love, laughter and music. The Teddy bear Song is no longer. Instead, "I Will Not Forget YOU"

It is so surreal. I can’t believe you are gone. I am so sad we didn’t get to spend time together and have lunch on Tuesday like we had planned.
I first met you in 2006, when you came to pick up Levi at a Red Dragons soccer practice at Edmonds Elementary. I remember this beautiful young woman dressed to kill, running through the muddy soccer field in her high heels. I thought to myself, “What in the hell do we have here?” Lol
Two years later, you were my assistant coach. Then, we played women’s soccer together for about five years on The Highlighters and The Entertainers, twice a week, along with Julie Steed. Your nickname was “Wheels” because of how fast you could run across the field as a forward.
In 2013, you and I started hanging out more often. Soon we became pretty much inseparable.
Oh, the road trips we shared, sometimes taking mamaK with us! Day trips to Leavenworth, the cabins in Yelm, the Chuckanut Drive, Snohomish, the girls’ weekends in Skykomish and on Whidbey Island, and trips out to see Susie in Sequim, just to name a few. I still regret you didn’t come to Lake Chelan with us, you would have been so much more funner (your words). Remember our Thelma and Louise moment on I-5?
We loved dancing at Canoes at the Tulalip Casino, various wineries, the Becker parties/events, and eating the dinner specials at Applebee’s.
We became remarkably close friends. Besties! We would finish each other's sentences. We both knew that if we ever needed someone or something, we could call on one another. That was very comforting. We would often text each other in the middle of the night when we had to get up to pee.
During Covid, every Friday night we would call each other and talk for one to two hours. We called it our Happy Hour.
I remember sometimes my face would hurt from smiling so much. I loved that you always thought my jokes were funny, and laughed at my Midwest accent. Which I never understood because I don’t have an accent. You cracked up when I used words like icebox and hassock, or pronounced milk as “melk,” and teased me about eating rabbit and squirrel.
Remember when we went to that pig roast and waited four hours for it to get done, and then you wouldn’t eat it because you could see its little face? It was delicious BTW! OMG! Such great times! You introduced me to so many wonderful people and I am so grateful. Susie, Lori, and I have been helping each other get through this difficult time.
We were and will always be, besties forever. I look forward to seeing you again in the future. I miss you so much. I love you Deb, I always will. Bye George, until later!
Coach Pam

Deborah Kaye, AKA “Debbers”, “Debbi K”, “Kowalski”, and then some. You’ve broken many hearts by leaving us too early. We all just want more of your attention, laughter, stories full of mischief, and time to create new adventures.

Thank you being part of my life for 45 years. We were supposed to turn 60 together and sit on that park bench feeding birds. You are supposed to be two days older than me. I am angry at what I can’t control, and that is brining you back.

But I am thankful for what we had, and what you had with so many others. I am thankful to know your family, and for the friends, that if not for you, would not be in my life. You were a common denominator for so many of us.

I’m thinking of you every day, and wonder where you are, what you can see and understand now, and hoping that there is so much love, joy, and peace surrounding your amazing soul. Please do not be mad at me if this is too mushy, in your own words “Oh Lord, just suck it up and deal with it!” I love you; my family loves you, and I pray we will meet again.

Susie Rook (AKA by your naming…Suzy Q)

Gosh, Debbie, too young to leave and too many more laughs, cries & smiles should have had. I’m so glad to have known you during our prime years. The memories are so crisp in our thoughts. You raised some wonderful children & impacted our extended friends & their children. I look forward to the sparkle from above & the gift of your smile everyday until we meet again. Love you, our sweet Debbie-Do 💖

You were my one friend that we could not sit next to each other at church. We would bow our heads to pray and see someone’s shoes and start laughing uncontrollably. We would sit next to each other at any quiet event…and not be able to be quiet. Laughter always came! When we called each other we always started with Heeelllooo George. I have no reason why…but it didn’t matter. It was us. I will miss that. Today is quiet…but the void is SO loud. I will miss you terribly my friend. I just want
To pick up the phone…hello George. So many stories with you that I will cherish always Deb 🌷💕🌷