Survived by: Myself, her husband Mike Stillman
Debe Stillman
In January 2005, my mom, Debe Stillman was diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic colon cancer after she sought treatment for visible jaundice of her skin. The results showed that she has cancer in her liver as well as the sigmoid portion of her colon.
Debe lived from January 2005 to November 2006 before passing away on November 18. She received chemotherapy and partial removal of her colon at the Kaiser Permanente of San Jose CA.
Debe was full of life; a social, warm person well regarded by many. She enjoyed being active and spending weekends at Capitola on the beach. Social gatherings, weekend getaways, camping and so forth were her favorite activities.
She taught preschool students at a local church, engaging the 2-3 year olds with reading, songs and activities. She was in the process of competing her AA in Early Childhood Development from the local college and hoped to become a director of a childcare facility.
Debe enjoyed aerobics, travel, and walking for exercise. She was very intuitive as well as artistic. She was well regarded among her friends as a confidant.
She spent many years as a Girl Scout parent and leader of my troop. She also contributed to her church community with volunteer service.
She was my mom and she was my source of comfort, wisdom, and a trusting friend. She always made time to address the issues I deemed important, and made every effort to spend quality time with me.
During her battle with colon cancer, her mantra was best illustrated in the song “Stand Back Up” by Sugarland. Though facing eminent passing, she was so strong and confident.
Running in events such as Get Your Rear in Gear is my way of showing my strength in running.