Deborah Lynn Martin, age 63, of Manville, Illinois, formerly of Ottawa, passed away Tuesday, January 14, 2020, with her loving family by her side.
Funeral services will be 11:00 a.m. Saturday, January 18th at Gladfelter-Roetker Funeral Home, Ottawa, with Pastor Chris Hvedza officiating. Interment will follow in Oakwood Memorial Park. Visitation will be from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. Friday, and from 10:00 a.m. to service time Saturday at the funeral home.
Deb was born July 8, 1956 in Ottawa, Illinois, a daughter of John and Lorraine (Van Dorn) Arwood. She is survived by her mother, Lorraine Arwood of Princeton; daughters, Amy (Kevin) Crowley of Bolingbrook and Misty (Kevin) Hendrickson of Belvidere; and grandchildren, Molly McKenzie Crowley and Sean Patrick Crowley and Sean Austin Hendrickson. She also leaves a brother, John (Cathy) Arwood, Jr. of Cullom; and sisters, Lori Grandadam of Princeton and Dawn (Wayne) Madsen of Wyanet. She was preceded in death by her father, John Arwood, Sr., and grandparents, Henry and Sina Arwood and Bertha Brink.
Deb graduated with a Bachelor in Nursing degree from St. Francis in Joliet. She utilized her nursing degree at HSHS St. Mary’s Hospital, Streator and with HSHS Information Service Center Springfield. Deb has worked in various departments in her career with HSHS from being a nurse on the floor, working in the Adult Day Center, and finally in the IT department working on Nursing Order Sets for every hospital in the system.
Deb was happy to help you in any way possible. She was ready to share her knowledge and her love for books, movies, crazy tv shows, recipes, the horse races and pet training stories. We all admired her quick wit and fantastic sense of humor. Deb knew how to create a full smorgasbord for any holiday, birthday party, or friend gathering, if you went home hungry that was on you not her. We would have pot lucks in the office at work, and she would need our help to carry in a “few” dishes. Deb loved to SHOP for ANYTHING. She knew her loved ones, friends and critters so well she happily found the greatest gifts for everyone. Deb also loved her critters, she cared so very much for her dogs, cats and fish, even the wild birds were spoiled by her.
Deb boasted proudly about her daughters, their husbands and her grandchildren. Misty and Amy were her two best friends. She appreciated every ounce of Mr. Fix-it type help she received from her sons-in-laws. She adored her FaceTime moments she shared with Molly and Sean as well as reading books to them, baking cookies with them and playing games. One of her last big trips was to Disney World and she loved everything Disney. She could not wait to text a photo of The Castle at the Magic Kingdom. The next time you travel to the Magic Kingdom, celebrate Deb – stop for a moment, pause and remember that A Dream is a Wish your Heart Makes.
She was laid to rest in the Garden of the Last Supper.