Debra Lewis

It’s with a deep, unrelenting sadness that we announce the death of our beloved sister, aunt and niece, Debra Lewis after a short battle with blood cancer. She died at home on her farm on March 16, 2025 surrounded by her family.

Debra was born on March 17, 1956, the youngest child of her late parents, Victor Lewis and Alliene Stewart Lewis.

She spent her entire life working her parents’ dairy farm. In 1990, she took over management of the dairy herd upon her Dad’s retirement from milking cows.

You could always find her outside somewhere. When she wasn’t feeding, milking, caring for her 100 head of Holstein dairy cows, she was preparing the land, planting/ harvesting corn and oats, baling/ chopping hay for her cows’ feed, repairing machinery and always, with her beloved black Lab, Skipper by her side.

Debra’s idea of a relaxing day was working in her perfectly manicured yard….mowing grass, planting flowers and spreading mulch. She enjoyed attending family reunions and going out on occasion for Sunday lunch with family members at a local restaurant. Her favorite time of the day was after a long day of work, take the dogs for a walk to the pasture and back then, bake a batch of homemade cookies for her dog, Skip and for herself. Then there was floor sweeping, a quick dinner, dishwashing, a hot shower, comfortable PJ’s, a phone call from a friend, and MeTV’s Green Acres to finish the day.

Debra was a favorite Aunt to her nieces and nephews. She enjoyed having them around no matter what and would have fun nights filled with laughter, pizza, truck pulls, fairs and as much Pepsi as anyone could drink. She could make fun out of anything whether it be an old tractor tire, cutting firewood or pulling an inflated tractor tube behind her snowmobile with her nieces and nephews hanging on for dear life, squealing with delight.

Another of her favorite times was when her 3 year old great nephew would come to the farm for his weekly tractor ride to help her haul out the manure or take hay back to the cows in the pasture. Last summer for his birthday gift, she treated Viktor to a ride on the combine to watch oats get harvested. Viktor adored his “Aunt Hoon” and she adored him.

Deb was easily amused, was not technologically inclined, enjoyed talking with her friends and other farmers.

In addition to her late parents, Debra was preceded in death by her brother, Wayne Lewis. She is survived by two sisters, Diana Farley and Nancy Lewis, her favorite brother-in-law who was always there to help in the barn, with field work or to run errands, Charles Farley all of McKean. Her nieces and nephews….Kimberly and Derek Veith, Lynette (Mark) Zielinski, Jeff (Jennifer) Farley, Jodi (Harby) Perez, Jami Farley, Jennifer Mayo, Brandi Salvatore. Her great nieces and nephews, Nathan (Katie) Ramey, Brandon Ramey, Brett and Morgan Farley, Brianna Farley, Jovanni Perez, Ava Marino, Jaxson Mayo, Nick & Vivienne Salvatore and Viktor Kuczaj. Her great, great nephews and nieces, Emma, Odin, Leif and Freya Ramey. Her dear friends Dan Maxim, Don Anderson, Austin Ferrick, John Shaffer and Troy Copeland. She is also survived by her black Lab, Skipper, her favorite barn cat, Baloney and her deceased brother’s dog that she adopted, Henry.

The farm will never be the same without her presence. Some of her final words were “I thought I had more time.” We wish she had also.

Friends are invited to call at Burton Funeral Home, 525 Main St. E., Girard, on Wednesday, March 19th from 11 until 1 pm. Attire is casual. Private service to follow.