BREWER – Debbie S. Spaulding, 52, died peacefully April 24, 2010, at a Bangor hospital after a lengthy illness. She was born May 25, 1957, in Bangor, the daughter of Shirley (Graves) and Urban Dyer. She is survived by her parents: her mother, Shirley (Graves) Dyer of Brewer, and her father, Urban Dyer, of Bangor; her former husband, Leslie “Bud” Spaulding Jr. of Bangor; one brother, Urban Dyer Jr. and his wife, Laura, of Ellsworth; three sisters, Linda Tucker and her husband, Larry, of Ellsworth, Carole Duncan and her husband, Don, of Dayton, Ohio, Vicki Payson and her husband, Dennis, of Surry; stepson, Leslie Spaulding III and his wife, Keri, of Brewer; grandchildren, Anna, Liam and Owen; her father-in-law, Leslie Spaulding of Brewer; many nieces and nephews; her caregiver, Nancy Lambert; and her loyal companion, Abby. Debbie graduated from Brewer High School in 1975. She was voted “Miss Congeniality” in the Miss Maine Teenager Beauty Pageant. She was an avid animal lover, having many wonderful pets, from dogs to cats to skunks and tarantulas. This love eventually led to her birds. She started out with a few birds, but eventually she began to breed larger and more exotic birds, until she had almost every size and color imaginable. Soon she had her own bird aviary and became known as the “Bird Woman.” She had several articles published and even became a consultant for the aviaries in Busch Gardens. Her loves were many. She loved parties because she could surround herself with family and friends. She loved to cook and everyone always looked forward to her famous banana bread or her breakfasts in the ice shack. She had a green thumb when it came to her plants. She loved violets, and her jade plants were beautiful. She loved doing her puzzles, playing music and watching movies, and playing Aggravation and Skip-Bo. She was the Skip-Bo queen. She liked to go for long rides exploring new places. She loved shopping and eating. She liked to go to volleyball even though she couldn’t play anymore. She simply loved life. Camp was her favorite place to be. She especially loved this time of year. She couldn’t wait to get there and put her feet into the freezing cold brook and try to catch the suckers with her bare hands. All the while the black flies ate her alive. She loved boating, fishing, lying in the sun and swimming with Abby. She really enjoyed her boathouse with all her cool hats, lights and decorations. Many good times were shared there. Debbie was a very special person. She was an incredible woman. She was beautiful, strong, loving, caring, compassionate, giving and forgiving. She was always thinking of others. Her very favorite thing in life was to make people smile, even complete strangers. Her practical jokes, her goofy costumes, her bubba teeth, her whoopee cushions and her bear hugs will be sadly missed by all who knew and loved her. So her family invites relatives and friends to celebrate her life with stories, hugs, tears and laughter 4-7 p.m. Friday, April 30, at the Family Reception Center of Brookings-Smith, 163 Center St., Bangor. Condolences to the family may be expressed at www.BrookingsSmith.com.
DEBBIE S. SPAULDING
