Deborah J. (Colby) Mitchell

Deborah Jean (Colby) Mitchell, resident of Bridgewater, NH, passed away peacefully into the arms of Jesus on October 26th, 2022, at home surrounded by her family. She was 70 years old.

Debbie is survived by her husband, Gerry Mitchell, her six married children… “Mom” to Brian & Sarah Mitchell, Kevin & Kim Mitchell, Kenny & Shayne Mitchell, Tommy & Rebecca Mitchell, Dorothy and Daniel Ellis, and Pamela & Robert Harmon. ”Grammy” to Maddy, Colby, Tori, Jake, Kate, Emily, Reid, Zach, Summer, Pemi, Caroline, Violet, Miles, Natalie, Ruby, Jack, and Juniper. Sister to Claudia Thurber, Linda Camp, Kathy Goguen, Robert Colby, and Marsha Sproul. Debbie is predeceased by her father and mother, Solon and Eleanor (Randall) Colby, and her brother, John R. Colby.

Born in Boston, MA, on November 13, 1951, Debbie grew up in Braintree and Groton, MA, and attended Lexington Christian Academy, where she met her sweetheart, Gerry. After graduating high school in 1969, she attended Framingham State University until getting married to Gerry on June 23rd, 1973. After having her 6 children in Concord, MA, Debbie spent the next 20 years growing the family from Lexington, MA, to Nashoba Valley, to the Monadnock Region in Jaffrey, NH. After the kids grew up, she later settled with Gerry and watched her family continue to grow and flourish near Newfound Lake in Bridgewater, NH. She had a very special fondness for the shores of southern Maine and the Deerfield Fair, where enjoying the Marginal Way and the horse pull rink became her most favorite of happy places.

Debbie was a gentle spirit who brought peace, lots of chatter, laughter, and the love of Jesus, the Bible, and His story wherever she went. She had a heart for helping children and other moms discover the joy of learning about Jesus and growing in their faith by serving in a host of children’s programs such as backyard Bible clubs with Child Evangelism Fellowship, Vacation Bible School, Mom to Mom, and Childrens’ Church ministries at First Baptist Church of Meredith, NH.

In the midst of fighting a host of physical challenges for many years, Debbie found so much joy and peace through being present with her family and friends. She loved to share her faith through songs, testimonies, and a host of Bible verses. One of her favorite verses was Isaiah 40:31: “Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength; they will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not be faint.”

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow,

Because He lives, all fear is gone.

Because I know, he holds the future,

And life is worth the living just because He lives.

Visiting hours will be held at Emmons Funeral Home in Bristol, NH, 115 South Main Street, on Friday, October 28th, from the hours of 4-7 p.m.  Funeral services to celebrate Debbie’s life will be held at the First Baptist Church of Meredith, 89 Main Street in Meredith, NH, on Saturday, October 29th, at 11 am with a graveside interment at Meredith cemetery immediately following.  Reception will be held following the service(s) at Waukewan Country Club, 166 Country Club Road in Center Harbor, NH.  In lieu of flowers, please send donations to Child Evangelism Fellowship of NH at P.O. Box 146, Concord, NH 03302.

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