Debbie was born on July 3, 1949, in Syracuse, N.Y., to Williard Richard Kitchen, Jr. and Jane Aylesworth Kitchen.
Debbie and her sisters, Bonnie Herget, Wendy Spruiell and Joan Belisari, lived in Ho-Ho-Kus and Ridgewood, N.J., and spent summers at Allegro Pines on Silver Lake, N.H.
Debbie attended college at Ohio Wesleyan before studying abroad in Madrid, Spain, where she fell in love with flamenco guitar music, Manchego cheese, and the spirit of the Spanish people.
Debbie earned a bachelor’s of arts degree in Spanish from Boston University. Debbie’s passion for helping others led her to Columbia School of Nursing where she earned a Bachelor’s of Science degree in nursing and became a registered nurse.
Debbie moved to Mount Washington Valley in 1975 where she worked as a RN. She and her former spouse Kim Ficker raised their children, Harvest and Tate, on Back O’ the Mountain Farm in Denmark, Maine. Debbie adored her kids, horses, dogs, farm life, and adventure.
From riding her horse Majesty, dancing aerobics to Gloria Estefan, skiing with Mountain Mama friends at Mount Cranmore, fishing with friends off the shores of Martha’s Vineyard, and planning her next trip abroad, Debbie was a true lover of life.
In 2010, Debbie's passion for the southwest led her to Santa Fe, N.M., to work as an elementary school nurse and nursing instructor at Santa Fe Community College. Debbie moved to Bonita Springs in June 2020 with her three beloved dogs to enjoy the salt water, sandy beaches, and sunshine.
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