Mrs. Deborah Jean McColla - Butler

Celebrating The Life Of Deborah Jean McColla-Butler: This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it. Rejoice because that is what Deborah is doing. She is now home with her mother; Eunicue Harlen; father Gene Harlen; sister, Sharon; brother, Charles; and the many family and friends who preceded her in death. Know that there is rejoicing going on. Always mother witted and wise beyond her years, Deborah matured mentally, physically, and spiritually early in life. Along with her love of reading, crosswords, and her questioning attitude, wanting to know how, who, why, and what about everything. She married her first husband, Walter Alston in 1966 before graduating from Southwestern High School in 1967. After graduation, Deborah attended the International Data Institute for the keypunch. June 1968 Deborah started her career working for the federal government where she worked for over 36 plus years. While still pursuing her quest for more knowledge and higher learning, she attended WCCC, Wayne State and Northwood Universities. She worked for the Department of the Army, NOAA, DEA, VA Hospital, and Corps of Engineers. She was a quick learner and had no problem with sharing her wisdom, skills, and knowledge with others, mentoring several co-workers while performing her duties with the utmost ability in personnel and as a contract specialist. When Deborah retired with an early out in 2005, it allowed her time to do things she enjoyed like reading, doing crosswords, and logic problems, and almost any word game, except word search, which she claimed searches were not challenging enough. Her main pastime after retirement was loving and nurturing her son Kendall. Kendall was born late in Deborah's life to the union of her May 1991 second marriage to Kenneth Butler. Kendall is known as Deb's miracle and blessing which he was especially during her sickly years preceding her home going. Deborah loved her church and gospel music. She moved with Pine Grove Baptist Church from Ecorse to its present Electric St. location. She then became a member and baptized at Community AME in the early 1960's. And for as long as she attended Community AME Church she was always in a choir. Deborah was the President of the combined choir for several years. She directed two choirs; Community's Tender Voices of Faith, a youth choir, and the Voices of Community, for a short while. She loved directing the kids because she loved working with children. She, like her mother, taught and inspired the children close to her, family, and neighborhood children knew she would give it to them straight with sugar coating it. She was a kind and giving individual, a friend to a diversity of people of all ages from children to senior citizens and with all kinds of knowledge from street to wise to professional. Deborah could communicate with them all at their level. Kids of all ages flocked to her and respected her greatly. Long before she became a parent herself, friends and family asked her parenting questions. She would respond quickly and helpfully with old school teaching and ideas. Deborah was a good listener and many loved to talk to her about many things. She was a confidant and could be trusted with secrets, discretions, and indiscretions. In some instances she utilized the experiences of others as her own life experiences not always willing to learn the hard way.

Mrs. Deborah Jean McColla - Butler

September 26, 1950 - May 14, 2015