Debbie Jones was born March 18, 1956. She lost her three-year battle with cancer last night, March 12, 2009, just a few days before her 53rd birthday. She was loved by many and will be missed.

She was the previous owner of my Pinto, and in the five years it took me to talk her out of the car, we became very close. I visited often over the last 10 years. We chatted about the Pinto (her dad bought it new) and experiences we both had in life. We spent hours listening to music from the 70s and looking through old car magazines her husband left behind when he passed. Debbie built model cars, both with her husband and on her own after he passed in the late 70s. She was a 'tomboy', an exterminator by trade, and loved old cars and animals. She told me that I was the little brother she never had. She was amused by my interest in the Pinto and the magazines and model cars. She left me all of the magazines and model cars, I reluctantly took delivery before the end, but she insisted.

She is survived by two sisters, Marla and Maureen, her three cats, and a loving extended family. Debbie passed quietly in the night at Lovelace Hospital in Albuquerque, but Bernalillo was her home. She stayed in her home until Monday this week with the aid of hospice care, and was moved to the hospital after she lost the ability to get out of her bed. I visited her in the hospital on Wednesday night. She wasn't awake, but I stayed for three hours and held her hand and told her stories about the great times we had. Good friends are few and far between, and I will feel this loss for some time. I won't soon forget our fallen Pinto hero.

Chuck

My heart goes out to her family and to you. You will most likely keep her spirit alive in your car. I know how hard it is to lose someone you care about. I will say a prayer for you and her.

Chuck,

My deepest and sincerest sympathy on the loss of your dear friend Debbie.  Good friends can be hard to find, and I know you will cherish her memory forever.

Dwayne