On November 26, 2019, Coca Cola’s stock price fell sharply on the news of Debbie Pille’s passing. Senior executives at Coke called an emergency meeting to brace for the impact of the anticipated drop in sales of Diet Coke as a result.

 

On another note, Debbie would like to let you know that her work here is done. She received a call, sort of an offer you can’t refuse, for an appointment from which she will not be returning. There is good news though. The assignment comes with a huge sign-on bonus as well as a reunion with family and friends she has not seen in a long time. Job security is exactly 110 percent. Debbie’s new mission takes her to a wonderful place where she will be socializing, drinking, eating, watching CNN and other online news to her heart’s content. Music, laughter and love are guaranteed. The best part? The food is delicious and you never gain an ounce.

 

For those of us that knew Debbie well, she never just provided an instruction without details on exactly how you were supposed to complete the project. For example, it was not a simple, fill the dishwasher. It was very specific. Put all of the glasses in this space, the pans in this space, the bowls, etc., etc.  You get the idea. As you can imagine, Debbie left detailed instructions for Mike and the children to celebrate her mission here, which has now been completed, but, more importantly, she wanted everyone to go on with their lives with God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.

 

In these last few years, we did not attend Mass as much as we would have liked but we were very ‘Catholic’. Debbie and I were very strong in our faith and believe that we established the same in our children. For years, Debbie struggled with her ongoing neck pain, her breathing difficulties, as well as the cancer. We are so very glad that her pain and suffering are at an end. Fortitude, strength, and endurance, combined with the power of God allowed Debbie to live the last 2 1/2 years enveloped in the love of her family and friends. Her family was privileged to spend time with her, to learn from her courage and marvel at her constant joy and happiness in the face of her struggles. Her family will be eternally changed by her presence and only temporarily changed by her passing. Her presence inspired all those who knew her and Debbie opened their hearts as well as their eyes.

 

In the HBO documentary, “Becoming Warren Buffett,” the Oracle of Omaha says that there were “two turning points” in his life: “One when I came out of the womb and one when I met Susie.” “What happened with me would not have happened without her,” Buffett said of his first wife, who died in 2004. In fact, the billionaire says, the biggest decision of your life will be who you choose to marry, not what college you attended, not what career you chose. “You want to associate with people who are the kind of person you’d like to be. You’ll move in that direction,” Buffett said in a conversation with Bill Gates at Columbia University in 2017. “And the most important person by far in that respect is your spouse. I can’t overemphasize how important that is.”

 

Well, what happened to me would not have happened without Debbie. She was the greatest friend you could ever imagine. Protective, supportive, loving. It’s very hard to talk about her in the past, because she was so present in all of our lives. For 54 years, she was the brightest star in our galaxy of lives. Some of the brightest of our celestial bodies are actually extinct now, their energy, long since cooled, but, miraculously, because she floats in the heavens so far away from us now, her beautiful light will continue to shine on us forever and the glow will be so bright, it will warm your heart, it will make your eyes glisten. And you will think to yourself, Debbie Pille, I am so glad that she was a part of my life.

 

Debbie is survived by her husband, Mike Pille; her children, Karolyn Ann (Kappy), Jacqueline (Rachel), and John (Jack); and Rachel’s loveable dog, DC. In lieu of flowers, would you consider a donation to the Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance (OCRA) as the leading organization in the world fighting ovarian cancer from all fronts.   https://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=8037

Georgia Cremation 3570 Buford Highway Suite 202 Duluth, Georgia 30096. 678-584-0914. Please leave online condolences at www.georgiacremation.com