Karen Deborah "Debbie" Calkins

January 21, 1959 - May 28, 2008

Memorial Mass for Karen Deborah "Debbie" Calkins, 49, DeLand, who died May 28, 2008, at Florida Hospital DeLand, will be held at 10 a.m. Monday, June 2, at St. Peter's Catholic Church. Calling hours will be Sunday, June 1, from 4 p.m. until 6 p.m. with a prayer service at 5 p.m. at Lankford Funeral Home.

Mrs. Calkins was born in Brunswick, GA and moved to this area 11 years ago from St. Petersburg, FL. She worked as a field inspector in Ft. Pierce, FL, for the nuclear plant and later moved to Washington, D.C., where she worked for the Omni Corp. for construction. She then moved to Cape May, NJ, working for the city, but her true passion was working with the homeless and underprivileged. She received her degree in public housing from Rutgers College and then worked with the Public Housing Authority in Pinellas County, where she ran a family self-sufficiency program.

She served as Miss Volusia County Fair in 1976 and was a graduate of DeLand High School in 1977. Outside of work her time was spent gardening and spending time with friends.

She was preceded in death by her brother, Jeffrey Brent Lee. Survivors include her husband of ten years, William "Bill" Calkins; son, Steven Lee Anderson, DeLand; parents, Robert Edward Lee, Daytona Beach, and Carolee Morris, DeLand; brothers, Robert Scott Lee, McKinney, Texas; and sister, Linda Lee Younk, DeLand.

Memorial donations may be made to Volusia/Flagler Coalition for the Homeless, P.O. Box 6498, Daytona Beach, FL 32122 or the American Cancer Society. We invite you to sign the Guest Book maintained by the Daytona Beach News Journal.