Debbie Kay Bolibruck, age 68, of Butler, peacefully passed away while surrounded by her loving family on Fri., July 16, 2021, after living with lung cancer for three years.
Born April 6, 1953 in Distant, Pa., she was a daughter of Shirley Allen Bish Miller and the late Darl Bish.
She was a graduate of Slippery Rock High School.
Debbie worked in food service at Moraine Elementary School, retiring in 2013. She also previously served for 10 years as the CCD Director at Saint Christopher at the Lake Roman Catholic Church, Prospect.
She was a member of All Saints Parish, Saint Conrad Roman Catholic Church. She enjoyed serving on the fish fry and funeral meal committees.
She was the beloved wife of Steve Bolibruck for 48 years. The couple married Oct. 21, 1972.
Debbie was well known for being a morning person, cheerful and filled with energy for the day, often before the sun even rose. She loved daily long walks in the countryside, tending to her flowers and yard. She understood the comfort that a warm, homemade loaf of banana bread could bring, and shared countless loaves over the years. She also enjoyed reading, holiday baking–cookies, nut rolls, and Easter bread–and travelling. She had fond childhood memories of camping trips and going out West with her family. As an adult, she always looked forward to shopping trips in Rogers, Ohio, with her sisters. She also enjoyed cruises and went on vacations to South Carolina, Florida, and Italy with her husband, Steve, and cherished visits to the beach with her children and grandchildren.
Ultimately, Debbie’s greatest joy in life, aside from her deep, abiding faith in God, was spending time with her husband and family. She loved to orchestrate elaborate Italian meals with homemade sauce, and the family breakfasts with all-you-can-eat pancakes as the highlight will be fondly remembered, especially by her grandchildren. She had a way of making everything special, and this seemed to come naturally to her, this sincere delight in caring for her husband and family. Debbie’s endless positivity was also displayed in the countless youth sporting events she attended. She was the biggest fan of her grandchildren, both on the field and off.
Debbie’s legacy is one of connecting to and caring for others, and this selflessness was always guided by her faith in Jesus. She gently and tirelessly shared her hope and joy, encouraging and comforting other cancer patients–and even her nurses and doctors and the hospital staff–until the very end. She was a gift to all those who knew her and were loved by her. May she rest in peace, in the arms of the God who created her and made her good.
In addition to her husband, she is survived by two children, Steve Bolibruck and his wife, Shannon, of Allison Park, and Lisa Birckbichler and her husband, Brian, of Harmony; her mother, Shirley Miller, of Butler; three sisters, Cindy Dunn and her husband, Bob, of Chicora, Debbi White, of New Bethlehem, and Missy Myers and her husband, Larry, of New Bethlehem; a brother-in-law Bobby Lamison, of New Bethlehem; and a sister-in-law, Carmel Ray and her husband, John, of Butler. Debbie was also the doting Gaga of Elias and Hope Bolibruck and Connor, Luke, and Blake Birckbichler.
She was preceded in death by her father, Darl Bish; her stepmother, June Bish; a sister, Susie Bish Lamison; and a brother-in-law, Rich White.
Friends will be received in the Martin Funeral Home, Inc., 429 Center Ave., Butler, on Tuesday from 4 p.m. – 8 p.m.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Wednesday at 10 a.m. from All Saints Parish, Saint Conrad Roman Catholic Church, 125 Buttercup Rd., Meridian, with the Rev. Kevin C. Fazio officiating.
Burial will take place in St. Michael’s Cemetery.
The family requests memorial donations to UPMC Hillman Cancer Center at hillmanresearch.upmc.edu/giving
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