On June 30, 2017, Debbie Jeffers, a sweet soul, a loving wife and Mother passed away at her home in Coquille, OR, after a year-long and extremely courageous battle with cancer. Her daughter Jessica and husband Rob were by her side, reminding her of how much she was loved by both relatives and her many friends. She will always be remembered for that sweet smile of hers, something that her family and friends always found so endearing.
Debbie was a beautiful lady with such a great sense of humor. Many people will remember her from long ago as a teller at US Bank, or as an employee for the Alliance for Work Force Development in Alturas. More recently, she worked as the public contact representative for the Alturas BLM office for many years. She also volunteered for a time as front desk receptionist at the Modoc National Forest office. She enjoyed people, especially helping them, and was perfectly suited to jobs dealing with the public.
She was born on January 10, 1955 in Battle Mountain, Nevada to Blaine and Lavada Higley while the family was living in Beowawe, Nevada. As Debbie’s Father worked as a signal maintainer for the Southern Pacific Railroad, in the early years the family moved often, living in such remote places as Hazen, Montello, and Cobre, Nevada, ending up back in Battle Mountain. She shared stories about living in the old railroad towns as a young child.
She attended grammar school in Battle Mountain and after graduating from Battle Mountain High School in 1973, attended Weber State College and Stevens-Henager Business College in Ogden, Utah. Her first permanent job was with the BLM in Battle Mountain.
While working for the BLM in Battle Mountain, she met Rob and they were married in 1982. To this union three children were born, Jessica, Jeremy, and Justin. The family lived in Alturas for nearly 20 years, first in the early 1980’s and then returning in 1996. Rob and Debbie moved to their retirement home in Coquille, OR in 2010, with a few years spent back in Alturas.
She loved Modoc County with its friendly people and beautiful countryside. She felt most at home living in small towns without the crowds of more urban areas. She was especially proud of being a Native Nevadan. Many of the people she grew up with in Battle Mountain remained life-long dear friends.
Standing at an even five feet tall, she made up for her lack of physical stature with a larger than life attitude. Although it was unspoken, it was understood by Rob and the kids that she was definitely in charge of the household. And they wouldn’t have had it any other way.
Debbie was one of the most honest persons ever. She once waited 8 months for a local grocery charge to come through on her bank account, checking it weekly. When the charge failed to show up, she insisted on going down to the store and charging it again so she could have some peace with it all. Such acts of honesty would be repeated by her so many more times over the years.
Debbie especially loved to travel. As a family, she, Rob and the kids took over a dozen trips throughout various parts of Mexico. After retirement, she and Rob traveled to Hawaii and went on a couple of long adventures across the U.S. with their travel trailer, visiting all 48 lower states. Rob was the driver, Debbie was the navigator and told him where to drive. Often, the route she would plan would be a winding, narrow, out in the middle of nowhere road, far from the traffic congestion of the highways.
She enjoyed light houses and explored many on both the west and east coasts, along with those on the Great Lakes and a few in Canada. Wherever she went on her travels, people just loved her, as we all did. It would have been so difficult not to love her.
Debbie got such joy from the different holidays and always seemed to be at the center of them. She made great effort to insure the family was all together as much as possible during these occasions. She enjoyed putting together Christmas stockings, Easter baskets and Valentine gifts for the kids, even when they were no longer kids, but well into their thirties.
She was such a great Mother. Her kids absolutely loved and adored her. And she loved each of them dearly and was so proud of each one for their accomplishments throughout the years.
Rob always considered himself so fortunate to have such a lovely lady to spend all those years with and loved her with all of his heart. Rob and Debbie were best friends and enjoyed spending time together, whether it was at home, or while exploring some far- away destination. They had been married over 35 years at the time of her passing. She is sorely missed by Rob, the children and her many friends and relatives.
She was proceeded in death by her grandparents, numerous aunts and uncles, her mother Lavada, father Blaine, brother Garry, sister Sharlene, nieces Ashli Higley and Brooke Arnold, and nephews Steven Williams and Troy Higley.
She leaves behind her husband Rob of Coquille, OR, daughter Jessica of San Rafael, son Jeremy of Alturas, son Justin of Coos Bay, OR, half-sister Joyce Elaine Howard (Freddy) of Madison, Florida, along with numerous nephews, nieces, in-laws, cousins, and an aunt and uncle spread throughout California, Nevada, Texas, Utah, Idaho, Oregon, Wyoming and Arizona.
At her request, there will be no funeral services. Her remains will be buried at the Alturas City Cemetery. In the future, there will be celebrations of remembrance held in her honor in Alturas, CA, Battle Mountain, NV and in Utah.
The family would like to sincerely thank all their relatives and friends who showed such love and concern for Debbie during her illness with their support, offers of help, prayers, and thoughts. In lieu of flowers, donations to the American Cancer Society would be appreciated.
