Debra Grebing

KENNETT, Mo. -- Debra Yvonne Eastwood Grebing, 67, of Kennett died Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2020, at Barnes Jewish Hospital in St. Louis due to complications from her courageous four-year battle with cancer. She was born Nov. 24, 1952, in Wichita, Kansas, to Phillip and Margie Eastwood.

On Oct. 11, 1975, she married Jim Grebing in Cape Girardeau, who survives. Other survivors include her son, Jarrod Grebing and his wife, Melissa Diemand of Clarksburg, Maryland; grandson, Willem Grebing of Clarksburg; her mother, Margie Eastwood of Chaffee, Missouri; sister, Stephanie Bennett and her husband, William of Chaffee; and several nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her father, Phillip Eastwood.

For most of her career, Debra taught college-level English and writing at Southeast Missouri State University and Lincoln University in Jefferson City, where she worked in the Center for Academic Enrichment. At Southeast, she focused much of her efforts on assisting international students. At Lincoln, she was instrumental in helping develop a program assisting nursing students in completing stringent writing requirements for nursing degrees. She also worked in the reference department at the Cape Girardeau Public Library for several years.

Debra was a 1971 graduate of Chaffee High School and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in English, a Bachelor of Science degree in Education, and a Master of Arts degree in English from Southeast Missouri State.

She was a member of Gamma Sigma Chi sorority, several professional organizations and St. Andrew Lutheran Church in Cape Girardeau.

Besides growing up in Chaffee, she also lived in Cape Girardeau, Hermann, Missouri, Jefferson City and Kennett. During the eight years she lived in Hermann, Debbie was active with numerous organizations coordinating and assisting with community and tourism related events. She was a regular face at weekly summer movie nights at the amphitheater concession stand, helping staff Wurstfest, Oktoberfest, Maifest and other events.

Debbie loved teaching the proper use of the English language, helping students develop their writing skills, and assisting people of all ages to get phrasing just right and grammatically correct so their words were effective and met the intended goals. Throughout her life she always enjoyed a good book and took great joy in the written word. She authored the children's book "Tiny Tito and Gigantic Jerome" with illustrations by her sister, Stephanie.

Debbie was a sweet, kind and caring person with a deep compassion for the feelings of others. She brought joy to every occasion.

She was a wonderful cook and baker and enjoyed musical theater, trips to Silver Dollar City, outings to public gardens, and shopping at antique and thrift stores. She was a lover of all animals, especially the dogs and collection of cats she homed throughout her life. She enjoyed the beauty of the world and the love of the people in her life. "Isn't that pretty" was a phrase she used often.

Her greatest joy was her family. A natural caretaker, she was close with her son and best friend, Jarrod, for whom she shared a great interest in comedy movies, author Terry Pratchett and British television shows. On June 30, 2019, she earned the title Grandma, when the family welcomed her "sweet, handsome boy" grandson, Willem Harrison, into the world.

The family would like to thank the warm and loving care from her medical team at Washington University and Barnes Jewish hospitals, and the endless love and dear support from her family and friends.

Visitation will be from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday at Ford and Sons Mount Auburn Funeral Home in Cape Girardeau.

Funeral service will follow at 1 p.m. Friday at the funeral home with the Rev. Terry Grebing officiating.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Humane Society of Southeast Missouri Capital Campaign or the Southeast Missouri Food bank.