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IN LOVING MEMORY OF
Deborah
Stachowiecz
August 7, 1951 – July 20, 2025
Obituary
Deb A. Stachowiecz 73, formerly of Fort Wayne, IN, passed away on July 20, 2025, at Oak Ridge Care Center, Union Grove, WI from breast cancer.
Deb—a devoted Christian, prayer warrior, "a force in herself" as one of her many friends put it, and a much-loved sister and aunt—was born on August 7, 1951, in Sturgis, SD, to Richard B. and Wanda I. (nee: Harrison) Owens.
Due to her father serving in the Air Force, Deb traveled the world with her parents before settling in Steilacoom, WA. She graduated from Lakes High School in 1969, and after a year of college, proudly served in the U.S. Air Force, originally in Myrtle Beach, SC, and other bases, until her honorable discharge.
On September 24, 1973, in Oklahoma, she married Thomas Stachowiecz, who'd also served in the military. They lived in various places, such as Colorado and Elkhart, IN, with Tom mostly working as a communications engineer, and then eventually moving to Fort Wayne where he worked for KLF. In 1982, they settled into their lovely house off of St. Joe Road which would become the place Deb called home for the rest of her life. For many years Deb and Tom loved taking rides together on their two Harleys in the countryside around Fort Wayne.
Deb's work life wasn't defined by what she did to earn money. She worked for various companies full-time and often part-time, typically clerical or administrative assistant positions. She was a girl-Friday for ROLM, a secretary for a local eye doctor, organized aspects of the Three Rivers Festival, and served as a church secretary for North Highland Church of Christ for many years. She also began her own home business, called Images PR, which was promoted in a January 1984 article in the Journal-Gazette.
For the last twelve and a half years of her life, Deb has been a widow. At age 63 Tom died after a valiant struggle against cancer on January 23, 2012. Since his death, Deb has enjoyed cat-babysitting for many of her neighbors.
If you talked to her, however, what she inevitably loved to share was either her art, writing, or sewing projects, her work for many years as the Chair of Stonecroft Ministries, her spiritual and Bible study journey, and the people she prayed with and for at her church, Providence Presbyterian. She loved her Lord and Savior passionately, and in the end she knew with utter confidence she would soon be with him forever— "home at last."
In her various art projects, Deb always strived to capture God's creation in all its forms. As one of her friends said, "She had an eye for the beauty in the world," whether that was with her dramatic photographs, often using clever and skilled computer graphics to create fantastical, beguiling images, her amazing and colorful quilts, her paintings, or her sculptures.
For many decades of their lives Deb and Tom enjoyed being "parents" to a host of Cairn Terriers, a Schnauzer, and several cats (all of them with interesting names like: Heather, Angus, Hamilton, Bailey, Aberdeen, Claire, Maddie, Timothy, Baird, H.P. Lovecraft, Jean Luc). They also generously welcomed their nieces and nephews for visits, with and without their parents, and often traveled many hours to visit them and her great-nieces and -nephews in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Even in her later years, Deb appears in almost all baptism, confirmation, graduation, and marriage photos taken by her sister Ramona at such events—afterall, how could they celebrate without her?
Deb is survived by her siblings: Ramona Czer, Ricard (Margie) Owens, and Rachel (John) Stanton; and her nieces and nephews: Megan (Jacob) Schable, Erin (Matthew) Nottling, Allison (Eric) Harley, Briana (Derek) Schmidt, Brendan (Lexie) Czer, Eric (Jennifer) Owens, Jamey (Linda) Carter, Jacob (Amber) Stanton, and Jessica Stanton. Deb is further survived by many great-nieces and -nephews, relatives and friends.
She is preceded in death by her parents, her husband Tom Stachowiecz, her brother-in-law Larry Czer, and her nephew Joshua Stanton.
A memorial service for Deborah will be held on Thursday, August 7, 2025 at 11:00 a.m. at Trinity Lutheran Church, 7900 Nicholson Road, Caledonia, WI 53108. Relatives and friends may meet with the family from 10:00 a.m. until the time of service at the church.
Deb—a devoted Christian, prayer warrior, "a force in herself" as one of her many friends put it, and a much-loved sister and aunt—was born on August 7, 1951, in Sturgis, SD, to Richard B. and Wanda I. (nee: Harrison) Owens.
Due to her father serving in the Air Force, Deb traveled the world with her parents before settling in Steilacoom, WA. She graduated from Lakes High School in 1969, and after a year of college, proudly served in the U.S. Air Force, originally in Myrtle Beach, SC, and other bases, until her honorable discharge.
On September 24, 1973, in Oklahoma, she married Thomas Stachowiecz, who'd also served in the military. They lived in various places, such as Colorado and Elkhart, IN, with Tom mostly working as a communications engineer, and then eventually moving to Fort Wayne where he worked for KLF. In 1982, they settled into their lovely house off of St. Joe Road which would become the place Deb called home for the rest of her life. For many years Deb and Tom loved taking rides together on their two Harleys in the countryside around Fort Wayne.
Deb's work life wasn't defined by what she did to earn money. She worked for various companies full-time and often part-time, typically clerical or administrative assistant positions. She was a girl-Friday for ROLM, a secretary for a local eye doctor, organized aspects of the Three Rivers Festival, and served as a church secretary for North Highland Church of Christ for many years. She also began her own home business, called Images PR, which was promoted in a January 1984 article in the Journal-Gazette.
For the last twelve and a half years of her life, Deb has been a widow. At age 63 Tom died after a valiant struggle against cancer on January 23, 2012. Since his death, Deb has enjoyed cat-babysitting for many of her neighbors.
If you talked to her, however, what she inevitably loved to share was either her art, writing, or sewing projects, her work for many years as the Chair of Stonecroft Ministries, her spiritual and Bible study journey, and the people she prayed with and for at her church, Providence Presbyterian. She loved her Lord and Savior passionately, and in the end she knew with utter confidence she would soon be with him forever— "home at last."
In her various art projects, Deb always strived to capture God's creation in all its forms. As one of her friends said, "She had an eye for the beauty in the world," whether that was with her dramatic photographs, often using clever and skilled computer graphics to create fantastical, beguiling images, her amazing and colorful quilts, her paintings, or her sculptures.
For many decades of their lives Deb and Tom enjoyed being "parents" to a host of Cairn Terriers, a Schnauzer, and several cats (all of them with interesting names like: Heather, Angus, Hamilton, Bailey, Aberdeen, Claire, Maddie, Timothy, Baird, H.P. Lovecraft, Jean Luc). They also generously welcomed their nieces and nephews for visits, with and without their parents, and often traveled many hours to visit them and her great-nieces and -nephews in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Even in her later years, Deb appears in almost all baptism, confirmation, graduation, and marriage photos taken by her sister Ramona at such events—afterall, how could they celebrate without her?
Deb is survived by her siblings: Ramona Czer, Ricard (Margie) Owens, and Rachel (John) Stanton; and her nieces and nephews: Megan (Jacob) Schable, Erin (Matthew) Nottling, Allison (Eric) Harley, Briana (Derek) Schmidt, Brendan (Lexie) Czer, Eric (Jennifer) Owens, Jamey (Linda) Carter, Jacob (Amber) Stanton, and Jessica Stanton. Deb is further survived by many great-nieces and -nephews, relatives and friends.
She is preceded in death by her parents, her husband Tom Stachowiecz, her brother-in-law Larry Czer, and her nephew Joshua Stanton.
A memorial service for Deborah will be held on Thursday, August 7, 2025 at 11:00 a.m. at Trinity Lutheran Church, 7900 Nicholson Road, Caledonia, WI 53108. Relatives and friends may meet with the family from 10:00 a.m. until the time of service at the church.
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Deborah Stachowiecz, please visit our flower store.
Services
Visitation
August
7
Trinity Lutheran Caledonia
10:00 - 11:00 am
Memorial Service
August
7
Trinity Lutheran Caledonia
Starts at 11:00 am
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