South Strafford, Vt. —
She was born in Orange, N.J. on April 18, 1941 to Lois Gerow Frankel and Moe L. Frankel, and grew up in Essex Fells, N.J. At Grover Cleveland High School in Caldwell, N.J., she co-edited the award-winning school newspaper…made many lifelong friends…and met her husband-to-be. She went on to Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., where she majored in English with a minor in Studio Art.
In January 1964, she and John Brickell Reese, Jr. were married and lived briefly in Manhattan, where she worked as an editor for the IEEE. Later, the couple moved to East Orange, N.J., Riverdale, N.Y., and Mt. Tabor, N.J., where she was active in the Morris Plains Cooperative Playschool and a consciousness raising group. In 1973, the family moved to Upper Montclair, N.J., where they lived for 25 years. Debbie became very active in the PTA, editing numerous newsletters and serving on various committees. She joined successful activist efforts to desegregate the schools in the diverse communities of Montclair and Upper Montclair, and she participated in local progressive politics. During these years, she also took classes at the Montclair Art Museum and established herself as a professional oil painter.
In 1981, after 17 years as a stay-at-home-mom, she returned to work — first in Customer Service and later Marketing for ReproTech, a Wayne, N.J. printing company. Subsequently, she served as the Public Relations Director for the Community Health Care Agency in Orange, N.J. She then moved to head up the home care agency accreditation program for the N.J. CAHC. During these years, she also worked as a serious part-time artist, showing her work in numerous shows in N.J.
In 1996, she and her husband began a new adventure, by moving to Vermont. While John commuted weekly to his advertising consulting job in New York City, Debbie forged a new life in the North Country as a full-time artist. She quickly discovered what a welcoming place the rural community of South Strafford was. Becoming a member of the Strafford Book Club and the Wild Women of Strafford, and serving as Co-Editor of The Strafford News with Kate Linehan for four years, brought many new friends into her life. She was also lured into local and state Democratic politics by her friend Ned Coffin, and became known as the “Pearl Mesta hostess with the mostest,” throwing party after party for progressive hopefuls running for office.
She and her friend the late Nancy Gerlach founded Strafford ArtWorks, an organization for town artists to organize exhibitions, hold critiques and create a forum for the exchange of ideas.
Debbie’s career as an artist included many group and solo shows in galleries and other venues in the Upper Valley. She was also represented by the East End Gallery in Nantucket. In July of this year, she was the Featured Artist at The Friends of the Morrill Homestead’s annual “Gallery in the Garden” in Strafford, Vt, and a November show will be held In Memoriam at the Long River Gallery in Lyme, N.H.
In addition to John, her best friend and husband of 52 years, Deborah is survived by her son, Michael John Reese, daughter-in-law, Jennifer Tesoro Reese and grandchildren, Aidan, Eloise and Lily, all of Larkspur, Calif.; her daughter, Rebecca Frankel Reese, son-in-law, Robert Zoltan Buzas, and grandson, Nathaniel (Nate) Buzas of Hopewell Junction, N.Y.
She also leaves behind her aunt Jeanne Frankel of New York, N.Y. and many dear first cousins, who were the closest thing she had to siblings; her beloved AFS family from all around the world; her brother and sister-in-law Wade and Judith Reese of Carmel, Calif. and their sons and families; many members of her extended Posey and Tesoro families, Bonnie Bos and Gys Kooy as well as countless dear friends from N.J. and Vt. And finally, she leaves with a heavy heart her beloved dogs Sami and Heather
A life celebration will be held in Strafford, Vt. on a date to be determined.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to: The Moe Frankel Scholarship Fund, Dartmouth College, 6066 Development Office Hanover, NH 03755-4400 or The Gerow Family Association c/o Florence Gerow French, 59 Spring Lake Road, Sherman, CT, 06784 or Old Friends Senior Dog Sanctuary, PO Box 93, Mount Juliet, TN or ofsdstn@gmail.com
To view an online memorial and or send a message of condolence to the family, please visit www.rand-wilson.com
Arrangements are under the direction of the Rand-Wilson Funeral Home of Hanover, N.H.