Debra Ziegler

On December 4th, 2015, Mom sent a poem by Michael Traveler titled "Just Breathe". It reads:

"There are moments

When the sun is just right

When the breeze is just perfect

When the mist in the air is magical

When the snow is like a postcard

When all you can do is stop

And just breathe."

Exactly ten years later, at dawn on December 4, 2025, Debra Lee (Madden) Ziegler took her final breaths and said goodbye to her best friend, soulmate, and selfless caregiver who remained by her side through everything: her husband Les.

Born on July 6, 1953 to Donald Lee Madden and Shirley Faye Deavel, Debra loved the outdoors and would spend hours fishing or hunting, and loved teaching her children and grandchildren how to fish or bait their own hook. She would often pick her kids up from school with the tacklebox, rods and snacks ready, hike a mile and fish until dark. She and Les spent many a day on the bay fishing sturgeon or shark, and together they cooked up the best meals from their catches, or game animals they hunted and harvested. Oftentimes, these meals included her playing piano, guitar or harmonica for whomever the lucky guests were. She was warm to everyone, but you were truly blessed to be welcomed into her heart.

Debra was an avid reader, often reading multiple books at once; be it about dogs, history, spiritual growth, poetry, or health foods. She rarely read fiction because she was always on the journey to learn.

Debra always had a loyal dog following her, or at least watching her every move from a placeboard or "long stay" command. She was raised by dog trainers and followed in her father's footsteps in the world of dogs. She raised, trained and bred show dogs before finding her speciality in training hunting, gun, therapy, search and rescue, recovery, and service dogs.

Surrounded by her family, both in spirit and those present, she finally succumbed to a year and a half battle with cancer. She maintained a positive attitude throughout some of the hardest days and nights, the eternal optimist. She was cared for by the best four hands anyone could ever ask to be by their side through any illness: her husband and daughter, Desirae. Debra is survived by her husband Les; brother Kent Madden; sister Kim Geisinger; children: Wally Ziegler, Crystal Turner (Jared) both of Montana, and Desirae Munoz (Amo) of California; grandchildren: Jordan Munoz, Niko Munoz, Isabella Munoz (CA), and Samuel Turner (MT).

To honor Debra please enjoy three of her favorite songs: Lead me Home, Wayfaring Stranger, or Vince Gill's The father and the Son, and remember the beautiful soul that she was. She offers you one more poem, this one by Chamod Senevirathne:

"When I am no more breathing, when I am finally at rest.

Don't look for me in places I once stood,

Or the silence of an empty room.

Look for me in the sky, painted in dusk's golden hues,

Dancing between the clouds,

Resting in the stillness of the stars.

For I am there watching you, not with eyes but with essence,

With a heart that no longer needs a body to be found.

Call my name softly and the wind will carry your voice to me.

Gaze into the night, and in the brightest star you'll see my soul,

Whispering, "I never truly left you."

And through the quiet frequencies of the universe,

I will send you every ounce of love I couldn't truly give you when I was still bound by time, by fear, by silence.

Know this: Death is not the end of love.

It's merely the place where the heart learns to become infinite."