Debra Marie DeCoster

Debra Marie (Stephenson) DeCoster, 62 of Kansas City, Kansas passed away on March 26, 2021. Debra was born in Kansas City, Kansas on April 4, 1958, attending Saint Benedicts grade school and graduated from Bishop Ward High School in 1976. She attended college at St. Mary’s College from 1976-1979, now known as the University of Saint Mary. She met her husband, George “Joe” DeCoster Jr. at a Halloween party and their first date was a night at the movies to see two horror films. They were married on April 21, 1979, and would have celebrated 42 years of marriage this April. She worked at Hallmark Cards Inc. for 13 years until she had her daughter Jennifer and became a stay-at-home mom, she had her second daughter, Sarah 18 months later. She has been a freelance writer for 26 years writing for the Kansas City Kansan, Kansas City Star, Shawnee Magazine, Wyandotte, and Leavenworth Neighborhood News as a freelance feature writer, Kansas Magazine, Woman’s Own, and New York Daily News. She was currently a Staff Reporter for the Kansas City Hispanic Newspaper. She began working with the KC Hispanic Newspaper in 2005, working with them for 16 years. She was also a member of the Society of Professional Journalists and the Kansas City Press Club for 10 years and served as President for 2 years in 2010-2012. Debra was a gifted writer receiving many awards for her writing which she proudly showed off. Debra loved spending time with her family and friends and especially her 2 ½-year-old grandson, Liam. Her passions were writing, gardening, and her animals. She took care of a variety of animals including cats, dogs, rabbits, chickens, ducks, quail, a pigeon, a chucker, and many others as she was a volunteer and worked in PR with Operation Wildlife. Her family always joked there was an invisible sign in the yard that said “all animals welcome here” as she took in many injured, abused, and abandoned animals. Debra is survived by her husband George, her two daughters Jennifer and her husband Josh of Olathe, Kansas, and Sarah and her husband Aaron and grandson Liam of Kingston, Tennessee who love her and will miss her so much. As well as her sister, Carol Cowdrey and her husband Bob and two nephews, Rob and Ryan Cowdrey. She is preceded in death by her parents, Earl LeRoy and Catherine Stephenson. Mass of Christian Burial will be 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, April 6th at Our Lady of Unity: Sacred Heart. Burial will be at Chapel Hill Funeral Home and Memorial Gardens. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Debra’s memory to Operation Wildlife.

Tributes

Debra Marie DeCoster

April 4, 1958 - March 26, 2021