Debra Ann Swilling, 49, of Baker City, died of complications from bacterial pneumonia on April 20, 2008, at St. Elizabeth Health Services.
Her memorial service will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday at Gray’s West & Co. Pioneer Chapel, 1500 Dewey Ave. There will be a reception afterward at the St. Francis Parish Hall.
Debra was born on April 24, 1958, at Arlington, Wash., to Glen and Helen C. Brown Swilling. She was educated at Baker City, attended both public school and St. Francis Academy. She was a 1974 Baker High School graduate.
Shortly after graduation, she moved to Great Falls, Mont., where she married Bill Bromlie with whom she had two children. She later divorced Bill and moved to Los Angeles, taking on the challenge of raising two children strictly on her own. Debra returned to Baker City in the early 1990s where she remained until her death.
In her career, she worked as a candy striper at St. Elizabeth, as a nurse’s aide in Montana and a bank teller in Baker City and California. She worked her way up to a lawyer’s private secretary for a large firm in Los Angeles.
Debra always strived for excellence in her work habits with a sense of humor. She worked in the insurance field after her return to Baker City, until the present time.
Her family said Debra enjoyed the simple things in life: a quiet afternoon or evening on the patio, taking pleasure in the fresh air and the beauty of her flowers, engaging in jokes and laughter with her friends and family.
“She delighted in her grandchildren and they loved her dearly as we all do,” family members said. “We will miss her.”
Survivors include her parents, Glen and Helen Swilling; brother, Ken Swilling; sister, Carmena Childers; significant other, Larry Kelso; daughter, Wendi Bromlie; son, Scott Bromlie; grandchildren, Kaitlyn, Gabriel, Bryce, Brogan and Barret; uncles, Bud Swilling and his wife, Luana, and George Brown and his wife, Helga; aunts, Vicki Rankin and her husband, Barry, and Caroline Cunningham; and many cousins.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Oregon State Police Officer Association. The funds will be directed to the widows of fallen officers through Gray’s West & Co., 1500 Dewey Ave., Baker City, OR 97814.
Used with permission from: Baker City Herald, Baker City, Oregon, April 24, 2008
Transcribed by: Belva Ticknor