Debbie Rosler (Winckler)

About Debbie Rosler (Winckler)

May 15, 1961 – April 7, 2017

Debbie Rosler

In the summer of 1975 I met a girl.  She was named after the actress Debbie Reynolds, but I didn’t know that until later.

We were both Army Brats, and our paths collided at Ft Hood, just outside Killeen, Texas.

Debbie Winckler had these beautiful deep blue eyes that are a perfect reflection of her as a person and reveal the depth of her soul.

I was immediately taken by her, and after kissing her on the Zipper ride at the carnival, I knew that I wanted to get to know this special girl more.  We dated for about 18 months, but like many Army Brats a new duty assignment took my Dad and our family to California and created an abrupt separation to our relationship.  We stayed in touch for a while, but ultimately, we lost contact.

Fast forward 3 years, and Debbie found herself on a path to Oregon, and to Oregon State University.  One morning, in the first few weeks of her Freshman year, Debbie was reading the school newspaper and she was astonished to see an article written about my Dad, telling about him and his role as the new Professor of Military Science (PMS) at OSU.  She told herself “There can only be one Colonel Rosler”, and she had to find out right away.  That same morning she crossed the street to McAlexander Fieldhouse and marched up to the office of the PMS.  Sure enough, it was the same Colonel Curt Rosler, and she found out I was also a Freshman and living just down the street at OSU.  After seeing Debbie, my Dad called me, and “ordered me” with a high sense of urgency, “John, I need you to call this number right away”.  I called right away, and I knew the moment I heard the young woman’s voice on the other end of the phone – It was Debbie Winckler.

That night changed my life forever, and we have been together ever since, and only now we are separated from this world by her passing on April 7^th at 5:55p, where she was surrounded by loving family members at our condo in Kirkland, Washington.

The following are what I will refer as the “Pieces of Debbie”, which will help you gain a more complete picture of how truly remarkable Debbie was.  She will continue to be the Love of My Life, and I will never forget her.

Debbie the Bull – Like her namesake, Debbie Reynolds, in the 1964 movie, “The Unsinkable Molly Brown”, portraying Margaret Brown, one of the few survivors of the Titanic, Debbie doesn’t quit.  She is truly a stubborn Taurus, but stubborn in a good way.  Debbie told me after we entered college, and were both struggling through our first year, that her high school counselor told her she needed to look for a vocational career, or just get married.  Her SAT scores were low, she struggled in math, and there wasn’t much promise in academics.  She not only made it through academic probation, she conquered Math 95 (her nemesis) switched majors and finished her degree in Education with near academic honors.  Later in life, she went on to get her Masters degree in Organizational Development and Training with honors, and paid for both of her degrees out of her pocket.

Debbie the Mom – Debbie was an incredible Mom.  She always had a fierce love for her boy, Craig.  She raised him to have a big heart, to think big, and to care deeply about others.  She provided emotional nurturing to him over the past 6 months of her life to ensure that he would be ok going forward.

Debbie the bonding agent – I have always seen Debbie as the glue of her family.  I know she hated discord and she always, always strived to keep communications strong.  She didn’t shy away from conflict but was always searching for ways to listen, and understand how she could pull her family and others together.

Debbie the spark plug – Debbie was constantly looking for ways to bring life and fun and happiness to those that meant the most to her.  Whether planning a birthday toga party, trips to the beach, getting out and doing something together in nature.  Whatever it was, she provided the spark, and energy which was infectious.

Debbie the adventurer – Debbie loved to travel.  From the time she was a child, she loved traveling and camping with her family.  She and I lived in Germany for 6 years while I was in the Army, and she was in her element traveling around Europe, and learning about the history and culture of the people in the different countries.  She was always passionate about learning, and travel was a great way to expand her understanding and deepen her appreciation of other cultures.

Debbie the others-focused person – The thing that strikes me most of all about Debbie is that she was always thinking about, concerned for, and doing things for others.  Debbie is the last person that Debbie thinks about.  After first hearing about her cancer diagnoses, and her very limited life expectancy, she put her focus outward.  She was so worried about her family, how was this going to affect me, our son Craig and the rest of the family.  She made it her mission to understand death. She read books on dying and grieving, and she moved forward quickly and proactively with the goal of helping her loved ones cope and ultimately thrive without her.

Debbie the animal lover – When I die, I want to come back as one of Debbie’s pets.  However, the word pet is really not accurate.  Pets were companions to Debbie, and held a very special place in her heart.  We had Otto, our rat from Experimental Psychology lab, Diamond the cat, Lorelei the poodle, and last but not least, her beloved Gustav, who was a human trapped in poodle’s clothing.   Debbie loved animals, and animals loved Debbie back.  Whether out for a walk in the neighborhood, at the dog park, at doggie play group with Debbie’s sister Brenda and her dog Phoebe, or with her sister Kathy’s dogs Lucy and Casey, or her Brother Tom’s Havanese, the dogs gravitated to Debbie, and with Debbie there is an immediate connection and trust.

Debbie the Friend and Colleague – Debbie has accomplished many things throughout her career first as and Early Childhood Educator, University Curriculum Development Professional, Human Resources Professional and finally as Senior Director for Nursing Strategy at Providence Health and Services in Renton, WA.  I could go on and on about her professional achievements.  The thing that strikes me more though are the lasting friendships she has made throughout her career.  She has not only changed the organizations she has worked at for the better, she has changed people’s lives.  Her most recent team was devastated when Debbie left work to deal with her cancer illness, and they have been a constant support to her (cards, letters, flowers, gifts, food and on-going texts, phone calls and visits).  From earlier jobs, people have come out of the woodwork and have shown the same concern, love and support for Debbie.

Debbie the Teacher/Guide – As mentioned earlier, Debbie pursued a career in Education and other Service organizations.  However, I think her example as a Teacher/Guide over the past 18 months has been even more profound.  She has taught us to embrace sadness.  She has taught us to be open and candid about our struggles and fears, and she has set an example of transparency of communication in her emails to us.  She has taught us that it is ok to talk about death and loss.  In the end, it is the family and other people we love that matter most.

Debbie leaves behind a cohort of adoring students in this world, which include her husband John, son Craig the Winckler Family, the Rosler Family and the many other relatives, friends and colleagues she has known and loved over her lifetime.

If you would like to make a tax deductible donation in Debbie’s name, a philanthropic fund has been established on the Generosity.com website at this web address https://www.generosity.com/memorial-fundraising/deb-rosler-memorial-fund–2/x/16479304?crossover=www.

The Deb Rosler Memorial Fund will honor Debbie’s legacy, will support programs that she was passionate about.