Abbott "Pete" Smith D.V.M. June 16, 1938 - February 22, 2010 |
There are days when we have the good fortune to meet extraordinary
people – the kind of people who greet you with a smile, sincerely look in your
eyes during conversation, intentionally listen, sharing concerns and
challenges, and pray with you before they leave; they radiate love.
It was not too long after I began interviewing for Dr. Smith’s
book that Jody brought her niece, Debra Otten, to the barn. Debra was in
transit, moving from Colorado to Florida. Her beautiful Great Dane, Zeus, was
with her. I have a photo of Jody, Debra, and Zeus at the barn. For some reason,
I can’t find it to share with this post. When it turns up, I will post it here.
Debra is the daughter of Dr. Smith’s oldest sister, Carol. I
am sad to say Debra
recently passed away after a long, courageous battle with cancer. She had a
network of family and friends who will miss her wisdom and inspiration.
Debra was an extraordinary person. She was absolutely beautiful
– inside and out. She was graceful and angelic. Here’s a portion of her bio from LinkedIn…
“As a Naples resident, originally from Colorado, Debra’s past
experience as an International Flight Attendant shows up in her passion for
personal connections and travel. Aside from having friends and family all over
the world, she is very active with her church and loves making new friends.
Talented and personable, Debra was Mrs. Indiana and won first place in ad sales
for Mrs. America, receiving her award from Baron Hilton of Hilton Hotels.”
In 2016-17, she was a volunteer for HOPE worldwide, writing “Went
on a team with 16 singles from all around the world, to Colombo, Sri Lanka, to
serve for two weeks over Christmas and New Year’s! We worked in a boys
orphanage, the Autism ward of the public Children's Hospital, and at the Hope
worldwide Montessori School for the under-privileged children.”
If there is one thing that Debra would want you to know, I
believe it would be to look to Jesus for answers. As a devout Christian, she
motivated many to find solace in reading the Word daily. From Debra’s Facebook
page Deb’s Daily Time with
God, she writes, “I am very faithful God has more work for me to do and
that I will be around for a long time, but I’m telling you what, I am SO
excited for heaven! If you want to get closer to God, I recommend that you
start reading his Word every day, even if it’s just a few sentences, and pray
even if you think he won’t listen. He hears you, he loves you, and he wants us
all to be with him in the end!”
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| Jody, Debra, and Zeus at my barn office. |
Sending love and sincere condolences to Debra’s family.
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