Debra I. Sheen
Our loving mother, grandmother, daughter and sister, Debbie Irene Hill Sheen, 60, of West Jordan, Utah, passed away August 7, 2014 in West Jordan due to complications from chronic leukemia.
She was born January 30, 1954 in Idaho Falls, Idaho to Alden Eugene Hill and Marjorie Irene Sargent Hill. She had a happy and active childhood shared with her two siblings in Ammon, Idaho, attending the Lincoln School and Ammon Elementary. She had particularly fond memories of Primary, where she learned to knit and crochet—skills she cultivated throughout her life and shared abundantly.
She graduated from Bonneville High School in 1972. She loved dancing and marching as a member of the award-winning Honey Bees and was elected “Senior Favorite.” It was there she fell in love with Earl Jay Sheen, whom she married in December, 1975 beside the Snake River in the Idaho Falls Temple.
She graduated from Brigham Young University in 1976 with a degree in Elementary Education. She had a life-long commitment to educating herself and others, with a particular passion for great literature. A library enthusiast, she read voraciously, from Dickens to Austen to Twain, to the entire list of Newberry Award Winners, instilling this love in her children and grandchildren.
A devoted mother of three daughters and one son in whom she invested her life, her home was filled with aspiring scholars, ballerinas, pianists, fiddlers, swimmers, skiers, tennis players and performers. She taught them kindness, generosity, open-mindedness, a sense of humor and to experience life’s variety. She had a passion for travel and introduced her children to the world’s abundance, encouraging them to be adventurous and bold. An uncritical advocate of the various paths they pursued, she was unfailingly supportive in moments of both triumph and trouble. She whole-heartedly welcomed and loved her sons-in-law as her own. Her thoughtful and insightful birthday packages and handcrafted treasures will be sorely missed.
Grandma of Pearl and Harper was her most treasured title. She was never more content than sitting on the floor playing Candyland, “storm,” dolls, reading a book or teaching them her high school fight song. She loved watering the flowers, pushing the swing and picking raspberries with them in her yard. Near or far, grandma’s packages and letters crossed continents and oceans to remind them of her love. From the moment they woke her up in the morning, Harper and Pearl preferred no other playmate.
Friends know of her intuitive abilities as a gardener and she kept a thriving and bountiful vegetable garden, especially babying her Jetstar tomatoes, Sugar Snap peas, sunflowers, marigolds, roses, lilacs and hollyhocks. Like Dickon in “The Secret Garden,” she received messages from the robins. She was an active member of the LDS church teaching primary, serving in the Relief Society and was proud of her pioneer heritage as a member of the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers. She enjoyed picnicking, skiing and hiking in the Wasatch Mountains. A lover of the arts, Broadway was a highlight of her many trips to New York City, as was Ellis Island in autumn at sunset.
Debbie is preceded in death by her beloved younger sister; Sharlene Hill Durtschi, her best friend, with whom she shared a deep and abiding connection. Their reunion is undoubtedly sweet. Together they were selfless caregivers to their parents and sacrificed a great deal to ensure their comfort.
Debbie is survived by her children; Katie Sheen Abbott, Justin Sheen, Holly Sheen and Julie Sheen; grandchildren; Pearl and Harper Smith; sons-in-law; Jake Abbott and Ryan Smith; her parents; Alden and Marjorie Hill; and her brother; Gary Hill.
A viewing will be held Monday, August 11th from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Starks Funeral Parlor, 3651 South 900 East, Salt Lake City.
Funeral Services will be Tuesday, August 12th at 7:00 p.m. also at Starks Funeral Parlor, where a viewing will begin one hour prior to services.
Graveside services will be Wednesday, August 13th at 12:00 p.m. at Grant Central Cemetery, 154 N 3300 E Rigby, ID.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the International Rescue Committee (IRC) in Salt Lake City. http://www.rescue.org/us-program/us-salt-lake-city-ut