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Duff, Debra J.
Debra J. Duff, 53, of Cedar Rapids, died unexpectedly Sunday, Sept. 30, 2012, at her home. A Celebration of Life Service will be held at 10:30 a.m. Friday at St. Paul's United Methodist Church. The Rev. Harlan Gillespie will officiate. Burial will be Sunday at the Clay City Cemetery in Clay City, Ill. Friends may call at the Cedar Memorial Park Funeral Home from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday.
Survivors include her mother, Betty Duff of Cedar Rapids; her sister, Marci (Brian) Gilchrist of Ann Arbor, Mich.; two nephews, Thomas and Patrick; as well as an aunt and several cousins.
Deb will be missed by her faithful companion, Mattie, her trusted black lab.
Her father and two brothers, Bob and Jeff, preceded her in death.
Deb was born Sept. 14, 1959, in Cedar Rapids, the daughter of Robert and Betty Miller Duff. She graduated from Kennedy High School in 1977, where she lettered in four varsity sports, volleyball, basketball, track and field and softball. She was a member of the 1977 girl's basketball team which finished second in the state tournament. Deb had been inducted into the Kennedy Hall of Fame.
Deb graduated from Upper Iowa University where she pursued a degree in physical education. She substitute taught K-12 grade in the Cedar Rapids and Linn-Mar School System and coached at Kennedy and LaSalle High Schools.
Deb began her association with Rockwell-Collins in Coralville working as a material distribution analyst. After several years she decided in 1993 to take a position with the fitness center in Cedar Rapids as a fitness specialist, where she remained until her death. It was at the Rockwell-Collins Fitness Center she found her true passion; helping people to achieve at their best and encouraging them along the way.
The memory of her smile brightens our days and reminds everyone what a wonderful person she was.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be give to St. Paul's United Methodist Church or the Muscular Dystrophy Association in Deb's name.
Please leave a message or tribute to the Duff family on the website, under obituaries.
Published in The Gazette Oct. 3, 2012.
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