Deborah Eleanor Boyd

Deborah Eleanor Boyd, age 94, passed away Friday, April 25, 2008 at Sunset House. She was born in Toledo, Ohio on December 15, 1913 to Will Newman Grammer and Florence Hillman-Grammer. Deborah dedicated over two decades of her life to the care of her aging parents. But during that period she embarked on a fascinating study of metaphysics and religion both popular and obscure. Although a member of Trinity Episcopal Church, she developed her concept of a universal loving God which gave her an unshakable and unflappable faith not confined to any geographic or cultural influence. She continued her studies into her nineties. Deborah was worldly and wise. She was an advocate of women recognizing, educating and fulfilling their potential. She abhorred self imposed illiteracy and illogical stupidity while retaining her faith in the federal government. Deborah was a delight at family gatherings. Quiet and very reserved, she waited for the opportune moment to raise unexpected and thought provoking comments. She then sat back and watched the debates expand their parameters. Deborah was a brilliant woman. She skipped grades in elementary school, was an early high school graduate, was admitted to the College of Pharmacy at the University of Toledo and worked with her father Will Grammer at his many pharmacies. She was a survivor of the Depression. As a teenager, she and the family heard gun battles between the gangs of rum runners at their Bayshore Road summer home during the Prohibition days. Deborah and her father were victims of many robberies. Will, his dog and shotgun foiled the attempts. Will was applauded in The Blade as the shooting pharmacist. He was quoted as saying the family had been defending their property from the Yankees since the Civil War and that he would continue the American tradition. After the death of her parents, her father, a graduate of Ohio States School of Pharmacy and her mother Florence, a graduate of the School of Nursing at University of Michigan, she decided that she was going to live the rest of her life on her terms. Deborah loved music, the theater and films. She accepted a position as a ticket seller for the Rivoli Theater to indulge these passions. The family was appalled and Deborah was happy. She declared that cars, while convenient, were filthy things, and took the bus everywhere. She loved the concerts at the Toledo Zoo, the Stranahan Theater and The Toledo Museum of Art. She was nuts about Elvis, attended his concerts and loved rock an roll. Deborah loved to travel. Once again shocking the family, we would receive postcards from all over America saying she was visiting this or that relative and would soon be home. They were always signed Bye, Bye Aunt Debbie. Deborah, an independent woman, never advised the family, whom she loved dearly, before she left on an adventure. She made friends with fellow travelers from all over the world and corresponded with them frequently. When the Rivoli Theater closed, she worked for Fannie Farmer Chocolates on Madison Avenue. Deborah loved to know what was happening in Toledo politics. Her job afforded her the opportunity to achieve that goal. When she was in college, Deborah developed meningitis. Near death, she became an experimental patient for the University of Michigan. She underwent new procedures and was prescribed new drugs. The treatments worked and her life and fabulous mind were restored. When Deborah broke her first hip, she was advised to seek assisted living. She continued to live in her family home until she broke her second hip a decade later. She then consented to discuss other options. She decided to live at Sunset House on Indian Road where her sister Pauline Burpee was a resident. Miss Debbie became a beloved resident again giving wise and gentle counsel to any who wished to learn. She remained alert and active until five days before her death. The outpouring of love and care from Sunset Houses staff and residents was phenomenal. She was their Miss Debbie. Deborah will be sadly missed by all of those whose lives she impacted. She lived and died as the lovely lady she was. An inspiration, a role model, a beloved daughter, sister, Aunt and mentor. Deborah is survived by her nieces and nephews, Barbara Baker, William L. Burpee, Charles Boyle, Sally Boyle Bojko, and Jim and Carolyn Boyle. Friends may call on Tuesday from 9:00-10:00am at the Walker Funeral Home, 5155 Sylvania Ave. west of Corey Road. Funeral services will begin immediately follow the visitation. Interment will be at Toledo Memorial Park. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Sunset House.