Deborah Hazel Chaffee, 69, died Sunday, June 7, 2026, at the Evergreen Hospice Facility in Kirkland.
Deborah was born Sept. 28, 1956, in Worcester, Massachusetts, the daughter of Gordon J. Chaffee and Dorothy I. Dick Chaffee.
At the age of 4, the family moved to Washington, where she lived in Tacoma, Puyallup, Lake Stevens, where she graduated from high school, and Seattle, where she earned a nursing degree from the University of Washington.
She then worked for the University of Washington Medical Center in the research department and was named a Woman of the Year for her volunteer work with Ski Patrol and Search and Rescue.
In 1988, she joined the Peace Corps and lived in the Philippines for two years. Then, in 1990, she moved to Chehalis with her parents and attended First Baptist Church of Chehalis. During the more than 30 years she lived in Chehalis, she worked with the Lewis County Health Department, as a school nurse with Centralia Public Schools, and at Black Sheep Creamery until January 2024, when lymphoma caused her to return to Lake Stevens to be near her brother.
She is survived by three brothers, Gordon (Rebecca) of Raymond, Washington, Clifford (Jennifer) of Lake Stevens, Washington, and Leslie (Ashlee) of Santee, California; a sister, Pamela (Robert) Davenport of Bessemer, Michigan; and nieces and nephews, Rebekah, Anna, Jennifer, Gordon, Alexander, Rachel and Stuart.
A memorial service will be held Friday, July 31, at 7 p.m. at Grace Bible Church, Marysville. Inurnment will be held Saturday, Aug. 1, at 11 a.m. at Machias Cemetery, Machias. In lieu of flowers, please make memorial donations to your local food bank.
