Deborah A. Bollenbacher, 71, passed away at Bridge Hospice in Findlay at 12:50 a.m. on December 9, 2022. Deb was born on February 4, 1951 in Lima to the late T. Forrest and Eileen (Unverferth) Basinger. She married Duane Bollenbacher on July 1, 1983, and they have made Bluffton their home since then.
Deb was a 1969 graduate of Columbus Grove High School and a graduate of Toledo Hospital School of Nursing. She was an OB nurse for nearly 40 years in Bluffton, Sidney, and Lima Memorial. After retiring, she thoroughly enjoyed babysitting Cameron and Emerson. She was an active member of St. John's United Church of Christ in Bluffton.
On June 1, 2016, Deb became paralyzed overnight from the chest down. At first it was diagnosed as transverse myelitis, but later changed to a spinal stroke at T-7. They explained the symptoms are the same, and the treatment is the same–there is none. For 6½ years, Deb was confined to her bed or the wheelchair. She maintained as active a life as possible until her body just gave out. Deb had suffered much, especially this summer and fall when she was in the hospital often. Her husband, Duane was her caregiver in their home, and she had many caring aides, including her latest and very dear caregiver, Ana Oliveria.
