Hanford neighbors: Recently published obituaries

Deborah Ann Lee

March 21, 1960 – January 25, 2019

Deborah Ann Lee found peace on January 25, 2019. She was with her loving son and brother during her untimely passing.

Deborah was the daughter of Arthur Y. Lee and Nancie L. Lee. She was born in Hanford Ca. on March 21, 1960. She graduated from Lemoore Union High School in 1978. She had worked a couple of years during high school and a couple of years directly out of high school at her father's family business, The Lincoln Market. This business changed its names to Food King, Best Buy Market under a different management.

However, this rather ordinary life took a bit of a turn, sort of speak. In 1981, with child, Deborah was in a car accident that left her partially paralyzed on her left side. She was thrown from the car and landed on her face on the asphalt. Even though the face did eventually heal, the face healed slightly off centered. An x-ray image of her mouth by her dentist caused him to ask if someone ever swung a baseball bat at her head.

She was in a coma for about 30 days. What was remarkable is that it was thought at the time that she would never awaken. She did awaken, but she had to spend another 4 months in the hospital to recuperate. And her son, in utero, absorbed the medication she took. And born 2 months premature, he became mentally deficient.

This mental deficiency when he was younger, led to hyper noncompliant behavior. This overly anxious child was in direct conflict with the early stages of the slow crawling return of Deborah. How Deborah was able to focus her mind to her recovery with her child buzzing all around her was stunning. Deborah was only outshined by her mother's exhausting will to manage those polar opposites.

When she came back from the hospital Deborah could not walk. Crawling was all she could do. Surgery that could have helped was declined because her mother believed it might permanently disable her. What resulted, after many months of near Herculean home therapy by Deborah and her mother, was that Deborah was able to walk again but usually with the need of some type of support.

Returning to the severe head trauma that Deborah experienced from being thrown out of the car, this seemed to be the starting point of Deborah's psychological issues. Years after the accident, she started admitting that she was seeing or hearing things certain things that no one else could see or hear. The psychosis that she experienced ranged from whispers from one or more people, to a loud number of people talking to her from the other side of the wall.

Her psychological state manifested in different ways from phases of normalcy to that of abnormality. Sometimes she had a quiet and withdrawn posture with forgetfulness of basic functions. Another manifestation would be crying and anxiousness. The 3rd manifestation is of noncompliancy, not wanting to do what's told. This is probably the most dangerous when it involves basic needs. The last one sent her to the hospital a couple of times. But even with all these issues that Deborah had to endure, there was a strategy with medication and instructions that seem to work. This was a manageable routine.

What was touching to see is that even within the conflict that might have been going in her head and body, she showed a sweet cheery, talkative disposition. She always wanted to know about and talk about friends and family matters. She loved talking about her son. She liked people.

Deborah, our family was blessed by your presence. To know that that your gone is unbearable. To say you'll be missed is spectacular understatement. We will miss you very, very much. Rest In Peace.

A Funeral Service will be held on Saturday, February 2 at 11:00 A.M. at Phipps-Dale Funeral Chapel. In lieu of money or flowers, please donate to a worthy charity involved with physical disability or mental health.