Deborah “Deb” Finkeldey Ziobron of Essex passed away at her farm in Old Town, Maine, on June 16, under the care of her daughter Alialin Doughty. She held her hand in the final moments. Deb loved her daughter and the farm immensely. She was the first of four kids born to Bonnie and Otto Finkeldey of Ivoryton on Dec. 20, 1953.

Deb graduated from Valley Regional High School in 1972. Her love for horses and farm living as a teenager brought her many wonderful years. Debbie was from a loving family and was always surrounded by great friends who joined in haying, gardening, football, having picnics, and causing trouble. We remember when Debbie got all the football players together at the farm on River Road to hand sew a quilt. She always had a way of organizing, delegating, and making impossible things happen. After graduating from CCSC as a physical education teacher, she married and moved to Maine to teach. That’s where she began her own family and never left.

She will always be remembered for being gorgeous and kind-hearted with a rebellious spirit that sought to change the world. Her many students over her career would say she touched their lives in miraculous ways. From her leopard print to her feather earrings and her sandals in the winter, Deb danced to the beat of her own drum and believed in education and equal opportunities for all. She birthed her babies at home, supported local indigenous communities, and inspired everyone who knew her.

We will all deeply miss her. She is survived by her son Edward Ziobron; daughter Alialian Doughty; parents, Bonnie and Otto Finkeldey; brothers, Otto and Drew Finkeldey; sister Tammy Finkeldey Marino; and many nieces/nephews, great-nieces/nephews, aunts, uncles and cousins.

We will remember her line dancing, horse tending, and sipping a glass of red wine under a big oak tree on a summer night, feather earrings blowing in the wind.