Deborah Jean Elser

Deborah “Debbie” Elser was born to Betty Mulliken in Wichita on August 3rd, 1954. Her first 17 years were spent in an often poor, abusive and dysfunctional reality. In this struggle she had a protective big sister in Marsha and a little brother named Ricky (now deceased) who took much of the abuse. She took refuge in her beloved grandparents, Gammie and Bub, and it was from these depression era adults that she learned the lessons and values that would form the amazing woman that she grew up to be.

At the age of 16, Debbie found a young college student (in the parking lot of a closed Pizza Hut) who said he was going to be a lawyer and she took a leap of faith. Albert “Skip” Elser and Debbie were married on December 4th, 1971, in a Wichita Methodist Church by a minister they had never met before who counseled that this was folly (their plans had been for an outdoor “hippie” wedding in the park with Skip’s childhood minister until Debbie’s mother inserted herself). From this simple beginning grew a love story that would last 55 years.

In the early years of their married life, Debbie helped to support Skip in every way as he returned to school to become a history teacher (not a lawyer). In 1976 they moved to Wakefield, Kansas, and spent the best 33 years of their lives in this little town on the north end of Milford Lake. While he taught at Wakefield School, Debbie worked at T&J Sheet Metal (bless you Sal Eakes) and then Geary Community Hospital in Junction City. It was also during this time that they grew their family and raised their three children (Andrew, Abby, and Austin) in what Debbie called “the best possible place to raise children”. When Skip reached retirement age, the empty nesters moved for a while to Junction City where Debbie had her red dream house in a lovely planned community called Olivia Farms before moving on to Lawrence to live out their final years.

It was at this time in 2017 that Debbie was diagnosed to have Alzheimer's, and the decade long struggle began. Alzheimer’s has been called the long goodbye and there is a long and slow road down the other side of the mountain, but there were still very good times to enjoy! Trips to see grandchildren (Linus,Jackson, Attia, Edison, Axel, and Gus), Dole lectures, concerts in KC, long walks with Gracie the Golden Retriever, snow to shovel, cats to love (Robert was the best), holidays to decorate and celebrate, trips to take (Gettysburg and Washington D.C.), and always bicycles to ride. In February 2024 Debbie went to live at Bridge Haven Memory Care in Lawrence and Skip was able to be with her there every day. In July of 2025 she entered Hospice Care from Ascend Hospice and passed away peacefully on the evening of September 9th with Skip and Austin at her side.

Debbie’s ashes will be buried in Highland Cemetery, Wakefield, at a future date when Skip is once again able to join her in whatever comes after this life on earth. A life well lived.