Debra Momany Obituary

Debra Momany

Love leaves behind far more than death can ever take away.

Debra Marie Momany, 68, went to the warm, sunny beach in the sky on Saturday, March 22, 2025. While her heart stopped beating at 1:12 p.m. while vacationing in Key West, Florida, her love for friends and family will never end.

Debra was the firstborn to Harry W. and Genevieve D. (Jennings) Parker on June 10, 1956, in the small rural town of Douglas, Michigan, in southwest Michigan. She was baptized at Pearl Methodist Church.

Deb (she only tolerated being called "Debbie" by good friends) spent her school years in Kalamazoo, Michigan. She graduated from Kalamazoo Central High School in 1974, where she experienced the ultimate course in diversity training as a result of integration busing. She then followed in her mother's, aunt's and uncle's footsteps by becoming a teacher graduating from Central Michigan University in 1978. Her first four years as a special educator were spent in Grand Blanc, Michigan, where she met her future husband, who substitute-taught in her classroom. She married B. Michael Momany August 6, 1983, and then moved to Findlay, Ohio, where she spent the next 26 years as a special educator in Fostoria, Ohio, retiring after 30 years in the profession.

Her commitment to students was exemplary. While she was old school-marm strict, she was also driven to giving her students what they needed to be successful in life. It was not uncommon for her fellow teachers to send their problem students to her structured classroom, which often led to the same students requesting to go to her room for the learning environment they sought.

Holidays in Deb's classroom looked like chaos as students took on gift wrapping of hundreds of gifts each year. They learned critical lessons in following directions and paying attention to detail while measuring, wrapping, taping, and curling glorious color-coordinated curly ribbon bows. They also learned valuable employability skills throughout the year while participating in preparing weekly lunch orders for teachers. Taking orders, preparing salads or loaded baked potatoes, food prep cleanliness, knife skills, clean up, and delivery were rewards for completing academic work. Several of these special students continued into the culinary arts programs. In 1989-90, Deb was recognized by the Northwest Ohio regional organization as the Special Educator of the Year.

In 2009, Deb was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease. Over the following 16 years, she valiantly and with a positive attitude dealt with the curve balls the challenge sent her. The disease forced her into three days a week of dialysis for nine months until the gift of a kidney from an unknown donor arrived on June 25, 2022. She enjoyed amazing health until recent weeks, when her immune-suppressed body bore the brunt of pneumonia, which, along with other complications, ultimately took her life.

After 32 years of enjoying time at the lakefront condo, she will no longer be waving to her many Shores friends from her balcony perch. Besides her lake friends, Deb will be missed by her retired teacher lunch group, the Tuesday Night Group of happy hour friends, and close neighbors who regularly gathered for meals. Deb is a Legacy member of the Blanchard Valley Health Foundation, an Ovation member of the Marathon Center for the Performing Arts, and a long-time Women of the Moose member.

Deb and her husband are humbly and forever grateful for the unmatched care she received in recent years while in intensive care at Blanchard Valley Medical Health, University of Toledo Medical College, Key West Hospital, and Kendall Medical Center (Miami, Florida.)

Debra is survived by her husband, Michael, of 42 years; her father, Harry W. Parker, of Kalamazoo, Michigan; and a brothe, James (Patricia) Parker; and a sister, Diane (Matthew) Ostrowski, both of Kalamazoo. She also leaves behind her beloved golden retrievers, Catawba Kimberly and Siesta Sarah.

She is preceded in death by her mother, Genevieve Parker.

A Celebration of Life happy hour will be from 4-7 p.m. Thursday, April 10, 2025, at Marathon Center for the Performing Arts Center.

Memorials may be given to Blanchard Valley Health Foundation or Kidney Foundation of Northwest Ohio in her memory. COLDREN-CRATES FUNERAL HOME is handling the arrangements and online condolences may be sent to www.coldrencrates.com.