Obituary of Deborah Jean Breed

Deborah Breed

1951 ~ 2025

Deborah Jean Breed (nee Brown) was born to parents Albert and Kay Brown in Castor, Alberta on October 29, 1951. Deborah was named after the actress Deborah Kerr by her mother. Deborah always felt that she had great parents growing up. Her mom, who is still alive today, was fair, kind, artistic and always had the best vegetable and flower gardens. Her dad was a joker, a hard-worker, and he made beautiful wood carvings later in life.

Deborah worked in a number of careers, but her first job was as a hairdresser in Alice’s beauty salon in Stettler where she made $48 a month. Over the years she did many things including working as a caretaker for a 24 unit apartment building, as an executive secretary, and also spent some time caring for special needs foster children at Stepping Stones in Ontario, she even ran her own business later in life. She often mentioned she was particularly proud of her tenure as a brake woman for CN Railroad where she was among the first 9 women across Canada to have the position.

Deborah was incredibly creative. She loved interior design, and she was great at it. She was a positive, warm, kind and generous person who was always thinking of others. Deborah loved to entertain friends, and always made sure that her guests were comfortable and had a good time.

Deborah had a great sense of humor, and she loved to laugh. She spent a lot of time in Belize later in life, where she enjoyed soaking up the sunshine. She wrote, “I was fortunate enough to go to Belize for 6 months each year for 12 years until I could no longer travel. I met some wonderful people. It was so good to live pain-free.”

Deborah enjoyed many artistic hobbies like sketching, decorating, and painting. Like her mother, she also found joy in gardening. She loved to play games, such as her daily crosswords with Ken, Euchre with her friends Daryl and Leona, and she always brought out pictionary during the holidays. Many fond memories were made in “gab sessions” with friends like Lisa and Jasmine.

Deborah passed away at the age of 73 years on March 4, 2025 in Edmonton, Alberta. She touched the lives of many and was loved so much. Her memory will be forever cherished.

Deborah is survived by children Jade (Heather) Breed, Joelle Breed, and their father Ken Breed; her children Zak (Nicole) Schnell, Sasha (Simon) Brown, and their father Gord Schnell; three grandchildren Kayla Hepp, Riley Schnell, and Emily Brown; mother Kay Brown; brother Bill Brown (Tracy Caseley); sisters Cathy (Fred) Fiss and Angela (Ernie) Methot; numerous nieces, nephews and many other family and friends.

Deborah is predeceased by her father Albert Brown; brothers Cory Brown and Raymond Brown and grandson Logan Schnell.

Celebration of Life

Friday, May 16, 2025 at 1:00 P.M.

Castor Legion Hall, Castor, Alberta

In lieu of flowers, donations made in Deborah’s memory are gratefully accepted to the Cory Brown Trust Fund, c/o Bill Brown, P.O. Box 717, Castor, Alberta T0C 0X0.