Debbie (Deb) Stremler, age 62, of Lynden, entered into eternal rest with her Lord and Savior on May 12, 2024 after a long and fiercely fought battle with lung disease.
Deb was born in Bellingham on April 26, 1962, the first born of three daughters to parents Dixon and Maxine (Hanks) Stremler. She attended Meridian schools and Northwest Indian College, where she made the Dean’s List for her writing abilities.
First and foremost, in her adulthood Deb was a Mom, with the capitol “M” denoting the formality and importance of the title among those cared for by her ever-expansive heart. She gave birth to and lovingly raised three remarkable and capable sons: Darin, A.J., and Cody. Those sons brought home a litany of friends to meet Mama Deb, and to those friends she also became a guiding light and a sounding board, a willing ear and a shoulder to cry on, and an instrumental part of their growth as human beings.
Deb was a proud and caring mother, to not only her biological sons, but her children-by-proxy and to the large number of foster children she took in over the years, giving them the hand up and the outpouring of love required to help them through difficult situations and times in their lives.
A well-traveled woman, Deb was able to make any place she resided into a home for her family. Regardless of where life would take her, she would gather her boys around her as kids and read them books such as “The Wind in the Willows” and made sure to always have a good home-cooked meal hot on the table. She was always the first into the kitchen to help her mom prepare a meal for a holiday or family gathering, and was notorious for her “mess hall breakfasts” she would assemble for the boys and their buddies, sometimes feeding upwards of 10 guys at a sitting.
Deb was never afraid of a challenge or a good time, and would approach preparing a breakfast for an army with the same zeal and tenacity as she would going wheeling with her boys, encouraging them every step of the way to “kick that truck sideways and live a little.”
While serving as her boys’ biggest cheerleader, she was also the voice of reason to many a teenage kid. From her own sons to their wayward pals, Deb was always available, sometimes at 3 a.m. to give advice on relationship, work, or family problems. She was able to put things into a perspective that the most stubborn of know-it-all kids was able to see from, and she did so with an entirely selfless attitude, free of judgment, that kept them coming back for sage advice time and again. Her faith and adoration for the Lord Jesus Christ was so deep and so at the forefront of her presentation of herself to the world that one couldn’t help but to cultivate at least a different perspective and an understanding of where she was coming from, regardless of their own beliefs.
Deb was the definition of a Good and Faithful Servant of the Lord, and wore her faith on her sleeve. She had finally found her Church Home with the United Reformed Church in Lynden, and spread her love of the Gospel with all who crossed her path. Her love for the Lord knew no bounds, and it was a great source of pride for her and has developed into a powerful source of comfort to her family knowing that she is now Home and without pain in the arms of the Lord.
Debbie is survived by her parents Dixon and Maxine Stremler; her kids, Darin (Katrina) Stremler, A.J. Maassen, Cody (Stef) Maassen, Cally and Cody Hull, and Tanya Carl; ten grandkids; her sisters Darlene (Kenny) and Denise (Shannon); half sister Darla; Brother Bob; numerous nieces and nephews; and an endless list of friends.
Graveside service will be held Saturday May 18, 2024 at 10 a.m. at Ten Mile Cemetery, followed by a memorial service at United Reformed Church in Lynden at 11 a.m. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in Deb’s name to Whatcom Hospice House. The family would like to thank Whatcom Hospice House and Deb’s church family for all they have done in support of her and her family. Ezekiel 37:1-14
Funeral arrangements are entrusted to Gillies Funeral Home and Cremation Services.
