Debra Florence (Sobieralski) Gruenhagen, 63, passed away peacefully on Saturday, Feb. 27, 2016, surrounded by family and friends at her home on Merritt Island, Florida, after a long struggle with ovarian cancer.

Debbie was born in Niles, Michigan, the oldest of three sisters, to John and Harriet (Kiel) Sobieralski. After attending Brandywine High School she married Bruce Gruenhagen and settled in Chicago where she gave birth to her son Derek. Subsequently they lived briefly in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, and Merritt Island, Florida, her home for the last 37 years. Debbie divorced from Bruce in 1983. In 1984 she met Craig Scott and they have been together ever since, marrying on March 7, 2015.

Debbie was the bravest and most loving woman, and completely selfless. Even in the depths of her struggle with cancer her thoughts were always on others, and never on herself. She was a devoted mother, a fantastic cook, a wonderful gardener, and her husband’s best friend. She embodied the precepts of Ist Corinthians 13: 4-7: “Love is patient, love is kind…..It is not self-seeking….always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”

She is survived by her husband Craig Scott, son Derek Gruenhagen, step-son Kyle Scott, grandson Rowan Gruenhagen, mother Harriet Sobieralski, sister Carol Colligan, sister Sandy Birczak, brother-in-law Todd Birczak, niece Chelsea Clementi, nephew Nate Birczak, and life-long friends Margaret Neterer & Barbara Horne. There will be no services at this time. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation, if desired, to the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance, c/o http://www.ovariancancer.org/get-involved/

We offer our heartfelt thanks to Doctor Bomalaski, ARNP Alice Spinelli, Doctor Hoffman, Darlene and the entire group with the Gynecologic Oncology Health First Cancer Center in Melbourne who gave Debbie two wonderful years while extending every kindness and courtesy. They all became family in the truest since of the word.

We also extend the same heartfelt thanks to the entire staff of the Women’s Surgical Unit on the 4th floor of Zone C, Holmes Regional Medical Center. Their care, warmth, and attention towards Debbie through all of her trials were truly inspiring, while extending every courtesy to her husband.