Obituary

Debra (Debbie) Helaine Kirkman, born Debra Helaine Dietrich on March 3, 1954, in Whittier, California, went to be with the Lord on April 24, 2025. She resided in Mission Viejo, California, where she battled, with amazing grace, pancreatic cancer for nearly two and one-half years.

Debbie graduated from Polytechnic High School in Riverside, California, and continued her education at the University of California, Riverside, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1978. Subsequently, after obtaining her teaching credential, Debbie taught, primarily, first grade and kindergarten for 38 years in Oceanside, California, where she lived with her husband Michael, whom she married in 1980.

Along with her husband, two children, and four grandchildren, Debbie loved her profession and deeply cared for the young children she taught. As one school principal put it, her relationship with her students was “a beautiful thing to watch.”

Among her accolades, Debbie was nominated for Teacher of the Year in Oceanside for the 2008/2009 school year. Time and again, students whom Debbie had taught would return to her school to thank her for all she had contributed to their lives.

Through the years, Debbie and her family enjoyed traveling around the United States, Canada, and Mexico. In later years, Debbie and Mike traveled to the four corners of the world, seeing, among other things, six of the seven modern wonders of the world.

Upon her retirement, Debbie donated time and resources to several charitable causes, in particular Compassion International, sponsoring children in Haiti and Ecuador. Her great passion in retirement was spending time with her four grandchildren who called her “Gigi.” Ever the teacher, she spent countless hours with them working on educational crafts and playing educational games. How the grandchildren loved spending time with Gigi.

Because her family was the most important thing to her in life, she loved hosting family for the holidays and spent countless hours decorating for holidays the family celebrated. Her family will miss her every moment of each day, especially the family holidays.

Known to bring a smile that would light up a room, and for having a heart of gold, Debbie left an indelible mark anywhere she went and with anything she did. She was an amazing woman who did everything with amazing grace. She was a caring, compassionate woman who was deeply religious, believing that Jesus Christ was her Savior.

Debbie was preceded in death by her mother, Eleanor Dietrich; father, Earl Dietrich; stepmother, Patricia Dietrich; mother-in-law, Teresa Kirkman; father-in-law, Burrel Kirkman; nephew, Gabriel Klein; and brother-in-law, Donald Page; among other friends and family she deeply loved.

She is survived by her husband of 44 years, Michael Kirkman; children Christopher Kirkman and Jennifer Zaravia; and four grandchildren: Aria Kirkman, Noelle Zaravia, Odin Kirkman, and Autumn Zaravia.

She is also survived by 3 half-sisters and their families: Heidi Klein, Christine Page, and Nancy Polcyn.

Debbie’s Celebration of Life will be held, by invitation only, on June 5th, 2025, from 11:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m. in the ballroom of the Palmia retirement community clubhouse, 21455 Monterey, Mission Viejo, California.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to City Church, Anaheim, California; Saddleback Church, Lake Forest, California; and the American Cancer Society.