Deborah G. Brannen
Deborah G. Brannen; age 64, of LaGrange; beloved mom of her faithful dogs Buddy & Lizzy; dear sister of Corinne (Michael) Montalbano, Linda (Leonard) Wilk, Lawrence (Deborah) Brannen, & John Brannen; proud aunt of the late Lauren (Ian) Smoke, John Philip Hubert, Brian (Meg) Marks, Melissa (Andrew) Torrance, Thomas, Hillary, Grace, & William Brannen; dear great-aunt of Nico, Brannen, Danny, Everett, Adelaide, & Ingrid.
Debbie was fortunate enough to have found her passion in life, helping endless dogs on their journeys to find their forever homes. Her countless hours of dedication to the pups will always be remembered. She will be greatly missed by all of her family & friends.
Visitation 3 to 9pm on Wednesday, September 9 at Hallowell & James Funeral Home, 1025 W. 55th St., Countryside. Family & friends must pre-register to attend 10am Funeral Mass at St. Francis Xavier Church, LaGrange on Thursday, September 10 at the following link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/409044daaa72ea2f94-deborah Please arrive at church by 9:30am. For those unable to attend, the service will be live-streamed at: https://www.facebook.com/SFXParish.LG
In lieu of flowers, donations to Chicagoland Lab Rescue (https://www.chicagolandlabrescue.org/) are appreciated. Funeral info: (708) 352-6500
We reconnected at our 45th High School reunion from Lyons Township HS( class of 74) last September Debbie was a beautiful soul and from all the lovely things I’ve read, she will be greatly missed My heart goes out to her family and friends
I will be unable to attend. Deb was a grade school friend. We reconnected at our 40th reunion. I found that she still was a beautiful caring person. She will be missed.
My thoughts and prayers are with the family, with my deepest sympathy.
Dear Debbie,
This is very hard for me to sit here and write to you. I never wanted this day to come. From the moment we met one another we instantly hit it off. You were the sister I never had. You became one of my best friends. We all loved you in my family. You treated my daughters like they were family. You were always so proud of them and happy with their career choices. You were proud with their choices of their husbands and just loved getting to know our little grandson Joey this last year. Even though you were to sick to have met him you loved seeing his pictures and videos and hearing about him. And then there was LaVere who absolutely adored you as you adored him. “DEBORAH” he would scream out to you and you would bust out laughing with that great big smile. I will cherish all our times together. Vacations, dinners, holidays, just sitting home watching a movie and ordering a pizza. I can go on and on with all the memories we made together over the years.
We are all going to miss you. When I say, “miss you,” I mean miss everything about you.
I miss your beautiful smile and your hearty laughter, especially when we would laugh for 10 minutes straight about something that only you and I thought was hilarious. That will be etched in my mind permanently.
I miss your wise words because you always knew exactly what to say when I needed your help. I miss your spontaneity. You were always the first who was willing to go on a simple midnight adventure no matter what it would be. You would be like “Yeah yeah lets go..I’ll drive’!!!
I miss your hugs, whether they were for a happy reason or a sad one, hugs always made everything better.
I miss your selflessness, always willing to drop EVERYTHING in your life to help someone who was important to you even while being sick. I miss talking to you about important things, but also the most obscure topics we could think of.
I miss your heart because not only were you selfless, but you were generous, kind, and loving to all of those around you.
But most of all, I just miss you.
Dealing with death is never easy and everyone deals with it differently, but I certainly have had a hard time coming to terms with yours. I never wanted it to be something I would have to face, but it is and I have to find some way to accept it, if I ever can. I told you when you got diagnosed we were in this together. I would be there for you till the end.
I still have that question that I will never get the answer to.
Why you?
It just doesn’t make sense to me that you are gone. I keep expecting you to call me or text me. But I know deep down that’s not how this is going to work.
I think most of all, I want you to know how much you meant to me. I told you all the time how special you were to me and how much I loved you. I am forever grateful and blessed for your friendship. I truly hope that everyone gets to experience a friend like you as I did.
I wish I had the superpower to turn back time just so I can get one more opportunity to talk to you, tell you everything we all love about you, and tell you how much I appreciated your love and friendship over all these years. I think you knew that, it least I hope you did.
You were, and still are, so loved by many. Even though you are not here anymore, you will always be in my heart. You were such a special friend. You always told me I was your angel and that I was always there for you. Well, DEBORAH now you are going to be my angel. And everyday I will think of all the wonderful times that we spent with each other, for those were some of the best and most memorable times of my life.
I miss you my sweet dear friend & sister. We all love you DEBORAH!!
Forever in our hearts,
Donna, Lavere & Family
I wanted to send my sincerest sympathies to the whole family. I have worked with Deb for years now and she was one of the kindest and sweetest people around. You will be missed.
My thoughts and prayers are with your family. It was a pleasure to work with Debbie for the past seven years. She always brought a smile, positive attitude and caring approach to the workplace. She will be greatly missed.
I didn’t really know Deb from high school but we reconnected through mutual friends from
LTHS. She was a kind and loving person. I always admired the work she did for the Lab rescue. My heart breaks for the family. I’m sorry for your loss. This is from the book Marley and me…. No time on earth is long enough to share with those we love. Or, to prepare our hearts for goodbye. Sincerely, Lindsey Lyons Fay
My deepest sympathies the entire family and friends.
I met Deb in September of 2016 and on that day I gained the best friend, sister I never had and confidante.
I am having a hard time finding words to describe how much better she made my life.
Her smile and wonderful attitude would give me strength to carry on. she loved her dogs but she also loved my cats, especially Roger and Jasper. She was truly my sunshine and a role model.
I love you dearly, I miss you terribly and there is no one else like you..
I can only hope and pray that we will meet again
Oh Beauty, Debbie- my heart hurts, there is a hole that cannot be filled. I continue to picture your smile, hear your laugh and see you dancing! The story of meeting you ….me, fat and pregnant with Margaret, Alison 2 1/2 and Rachel 14 months, running around the Video store….oh my…..we somehow knew we had to be friends with the same name.
Our traditions of family gatherings, holidays, birthdays, births and deaths have been rich, My favorite is celebrating being the same age for 23 days, both of us having birthdays in March, I was older!!!
From our nights downtown on Lincoln Park West, meeting Dennis Rodman at Krobar, trips to Miami and Denver….. the list goes on. Deb, you ALWAYS laughed and focused on others. From you I have learned so much.
Thank you for allowing me to call you Friend, thank you for your Love to my children and grandchildren.
I will miss you forever.
Love,
Debbie
I was blessed to have you as a friend. You where an angel amongst us! R.I.P. my friend. Until we meet again❤
My sympathies to family and friends. I met Deb while at CIBC; she was always willing to help, always had a kind word and a smile.
May she rest in peace.
Rest in peace my dear friend Debbie. You were a fighter and in such high spirits throughout “the fight”. You had enviable courage and valor. Thank you for everything you did for my family and for always caring about my kids. The Oak Brook building will never be the same without you. I will always remember you. Love, Rudy, Aurore, kids and Pepe (our dog).
My thoughts and prayers are with the family during this difficult time. Deb was a kind hearted, genuine, and professional person. It was a true pleasure working with her and she will be dearly missed. With deepest sympathy, Diana.
Oh my sweet friend Debbie- she was the sweetest and kindest person I know. I did banking with her for 25 years. She always lifted me up in time of need. We’d chat for hours. I am now just hearing of this as I texted her this morning and when I didn’t get a response I had a bad feeling. Googled her and found the obituary. I am so sorry snd sad I didn’t get to give her my blessings and final respects.
My heart and prayers go out to her family.
RIP Debbie 🙏🏻
I wish to convey my condolences to Lawrence, Corina, John and Linda for the loss of their sister Deborah.
Mostly I am friends with John and Linda, but I did meet Debbi on various occasions. I became aware of
her passing just the other day when my friend Wade told me about this. So sorry for your loss.
And Yes, she was dog’s best friend. GOD BLESS ALL. Richard Vacco Jr.
It has taken me a few weeks to write this. Debbie was a true friend for 24 years. We met on a ski trip to Germany and giggled the entire time. She had an easy smile and a contagious laugh. This is not the outcome we were hoping for, but I am confident that Debbie is resting peacefully in heaven.
When I am feeling sad, I look up at the photo of Debbie, Michele Folta, and me on a gondola in Venice. She was always up for a new adventure! She made friends easily, and was loyal and genuine. And she had such a big heart that she had to take care of several, rambunctious rescue pups. She gave them a better life with lots of love and attention.
I am blessed to have had such a good friend. Until we meet again, Deb, sending you lots of love.
Dear Brannon family,
I am so very sorry to hear of Debbies passing. I am scrolling thru this website looking for an old neighbors obituary, and came across Debbies. Please know that I will keep her, and your family in my thoughts and prayers. I have lost siblings, and understand your pain.
Sending you all ❤️
Mary Dorosz Farmer
Debbie,
I am so sorry this happened to you. I just heard about it last night and I was shocked and greatly saddened. I know your family must be devastated. My condolences to your family. Rest In Peace Debbie. Until we meet again.
Peggy Manzer
Debbie was one of the most genuine and beautiful souls I have ever known. She was our banker in 2015 for our home and we have been friends ever since. She brought laughter in our hearts, has always been positive, and was just a fantastic person to know. I reached out and something told me to google her and this appeared. All I could do is cry and think about all of our conversations and good times. She attended my baby shower a few years ago and was the life of the gathering. She was such a beautiful person and I am devastated to have learned about her passing. My family and I adored Debbie and she definitely will be missed. I feel blessed to have known Debbie. Wow this has been such a sad year.
Debbie – You have touched our family more than you know. We miss and love you.
Condolences to the Brannen Family. God Bless.
Deborah helped me buy my first home. She put me under her wing as if I was her own daughter. She was kind, patient, and kept in touch after the closing. For years she would ask how my sons and I were doing. She kept in touch, and always sent holiday greetings. I am so sad to hear of her passing. My prayers and thoughts go out to her family and friends. She held a beautiful presence on this earth. She will be missed.