Deborah Jean Haggman (nee Southcott) passed away peacefully at Whatcom Hospice House in Bellingham on Sunday, February 2, 2025.
Debbie was born on Saturday, December 15, 1951, in Powell River, BC, Canada. After graduating from Max Cameron High School, she worked for MacMillan Bloedel Limited, the world’s largest papermaker at the time, in various departments.
She met her husband, Kurt, in her hometown when he was also working at the paper mill in the summer of 1970 and they were married on Christmas Eve. Debbie also spent time in Port Alberni, Saint John, NB, Kamloops, BC, and Renton ,WA, before retiring in Blaine, WA, in 2012. After moving to the United States in 2000, she became a naturalized citizen in 2007. She was a proud Canadian and always referred to herself a dual citizen.
Debbie was a gifted watercolour artist. Through participation in art shows, she received the distinguished honour of Signature Member in the Northwest Watercolor Society. She had a successful art business which included teaching art classes in Renton and Lynden at the Jensen Art Center. Her final art show is hanging in the Great Blue Heron Grill at Semiahmoo in Blaine, WA, until the end of February 2025.
Outside of her creative pursuits, Debbie loved staying active. She was an enthusiastic golfer, pickleball player and line dancer. With a wide circle of friends from the golf course, the art world and her neighbours at Semiahmoo, she enjoyed life to the fullest. Even though she lived with lymphoma for 20 years, and glioblastoma slowly took its toll, Debbie’s positive outlook and ability to adapt never wavered.
The joy of Debbie’s life was her three children and four grandchildren. Christmas was always celebrated with the whole family with a special tradition on Christmas Eve. She was a caring mother and proud grandmother. She shared her love of art with her eldest grandchild and encouraged the others to follow their own passions. Family activities were central to her enjoyment of life.
Debbie always planned ahead and enjoyed organizing travel vacations and family gatherings. Because of her Scottish heritage, her favourite vacation was the trip to the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo to see and hear the best bagpipers in the world.
Debbie was predeceased by her father Sidney Southcott, her mother Mary Southcott and her oldest sister Wendy Mobley. She is survived by her husband Kurt, her son Eric, her daughters Angela Hot (Damir) and Lindsay Reed (Scott), her older sister Sydney Hope, her nephews Christopher (Sally) and Michael (Marsha) Hope, her niece Erin Corry, and four granddaughters Isla, Dani, Lexi and Riley.
Special thanks to the doctors, nurses and staff at the Whatcom Hospice House for making her last days as comfortable and enjoyable as possible.
As per Debbie’s wishes, there will be no funeral. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Northwest Watercolor Society Foundation, 13530 SE 268th Street, Kent ,WA, 98042, USA.
