Deborah Lin Burch obituary
Deborah Lin Durbin Lott Burch was awesome. Debbie passed away, at age 49, on Wednesday, March 9th, 2022 of Metastatic Breast Cancer after outliving, by at least double, all of her Doctors’ lifespan predictions.
Debbie was born on June 21, 1972. She was the fifth, final and (self-proclaimed) favorite child of Philip and Dorothy Ann (Thompson) Durbin. Debbie spent nearly her entire life in Shelley, Idaho. She attended Shelley High School where she was active on the Cheerleading Squad. She moved away once to go to BYU but missed home so much she moved back, eventually buying the house next door to her parents. Everyone benefitted from that decision.
She married JR Lott in 1992 and they had three children together. Debbie helped JR with their trucking business for many years and later decided to go back to Idaho State University and get her teaching certificate. She was a star pupil and an even better teacher. She taught second grade at Sunrise Elementary and later middle school math at Hobbs Middle School. She was universally loved by her students and had a special way of relating to kids who were struggling. She reluctantly gave up the career she loved when her health declined.
In 2017 Debbie married the love of her life, Rocky Burch. Debbie & Rocky packed a lot of love, living, and adventure into their short time together. Debbie lived life to the fullest and her diagnosis didn’t slow her down much. She packed a lot into her almost 50 years on Earth. Debbie saw most of the US and also visited Japan, Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean. She experienced scuba diving, snow machining, hot-air ballooning, sailing, and hiking. She was always up for a new adventure and she made everything more fun just by showing up. Her cancer diagnosis in 2017 and subsequent multiple trips to Salt Lake City for treatment didn’t dampen her optimistic spirit. Debbie & Rocky made those trips into adventures and always scheduled fun things to do between procedures.
Debbie was the (self-proclaimed) “Best Pinochle Player†in the family. She wasn’t interested in doing anything unless a score was kept or it was made a competition in some way. She could humble you in Ping Pong, tennis, board games or whatever. She was game for a competition any time, any place. Debbie was a ferocious advocate for her children and grandchildren. She wanted the best for them and was willing to do anything to make them the kind and productive humans she wanted them to be.
Faith was Debbie’s guiding light. She was a lifelong active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and held many leadership positions in the church over the years. Debbie’s favorite callings were serving with the Young Women. She lived a Christian life the way it should be lived: serving others, forgiving, unconditionally accepting people as they were, and living life with purpose and humility. She and Rocky were sealed in the Idaho Falls Temple and are looking forward to being together for all eternity.
Debbie is survived by her husband Rocky, and her parents, Phil & Ann Durbin. Missing her like crazy are her daughter (and best friend): Brooke Arzola (Alex), and her sons: Trey Lott & Ty Lott, all of Shelley, ID. Also left behind are her beloved grandsons, Carter and Daxton Arzola. She is going to leave a hole in the life of her siblings: Elizabeth “Liz†Hardman (Leon) of Emmett, ID; Douglas Durbin (Mark Wittman) of Seattle, WA; Gregg Durbin (Takako Watanabe) of Fujiyoshida, Japan; and Darren Durbin (Ginger) of Shelley, ID. She was loved and will be missed by countless family and friends.
Debbie and Rocky wanted to give special thanks to her care team at the Huntsman Care Institute in Salt Lake City. Dr. Sandra Buys, Physicians Assistant Chanteel Ballard, Dr. Donald Cannon, and the many heroic nurses who all treated her with skill and compassion. Debbie put her competitive spirit to good use when her team would give her a lifespan estimate. She was determined to prove them wrong and she did over and over again with good humor and her irresistible charm. Also, special thanks to Kara Yancey at Aspen Home Health and Hospice who made the final days easier on Debbie and her family.
Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. Saturday, March 19, 2022 at the Shelley Stake Center, 325 E Locust Street. The family will receive friends Friday evening from 6:00 till 7:30 p.m. at Nalder Funeral Home, 110 West Oak Street and Saturday from 9:30 a.m. till 10:30 a.m. at the church. Debbie will be interred in the Shelley Hillcrest Cemetery.
