Obituary

Deborah (Debbie) Michelle Poole Thompson, 58, of Bullhead City AZ passed away on December 5, 2021. She was born on February 13, 1963, in Waukee, Iowa to Larrie Edgar Cochran and Mary Terese Cochran (Vandevanter).

Debbie started her life in Waukee but shortly after the birth of her brother Steven they moved to Michigan. Right before she started school, her sister Monica was born. Being the bigger sister, she had to shine her way through school and pave the way. She loved making new friends. She enjoyed learning new skills that included dancing and singing. As she was growing up, she loved spending time with her family at her grandparent’s farm in Iowa. On the farm she would get her siblings and cousins to perform “Grand Old Opry”. We would dance and sing just like the show. She spent time helping with chores and riding horses with her cousins. When she spent time at her grandma’s house in town, the family would get together and sit on the front porch and sing John Denver’s songs like “Take Me Home, Country Roads” and “Sunshine on My Shoulders”. She loved music, she played violin and trumpet in middle school and joined choir in high school.

After graduation from Walled Lake Western High School, she went on to receive a certificate to be a travel agent and moved to Tucson, AZ to live with her cousin. She later moved back to Michigan where she met her first husband Noel who was in the United States Army. She continued her career in the food industry. In 1991, Debbie and Noel welcomed their daughter Brittany to the world. Brittany was cherished by both. Eventually Noel and Debbie parted ways and Debbie’s main focus was raising her daughter. After the passing of her mother, Debbie, Brittany and her father moved to Bullhead City, Arizona to start a new chapter in her life. She had the opportunity to go back to school to become a social worker. She was an active part of Brittany’s extracurricular activities such as dance and cheer.  Debbie continued to love music- She loved to listen to Keith Urban and several other music genres.

Debbie was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) which prevented her from finishing her degree and had to stop working. Even after getting her diagnoses, she kept a sense of humor and a positive attitude. She enjoyed selecting her teams for her family’s fantasy football. She would cheer on her teams in hopes to win. She was a Detroit Lions at home cheerleader through in through. In 2014 and 2015 she was blessed with 2 grandsons, Benjamin and Sebastian. As her MS progressed, she needed 24/7 care and moved into a skilled facility in beginning of 2020. In May 2021, she agreed to move to a skilled facility in Phoenix, where she could be close to her family. Up until her passing, Debbie spent quality time with her brother, sister, and her family which allowed them to spend hours reconnecting – laughing, telling stories, celebrating birthdays, singing and teasing about the past and current times. Steve would tease with her all the time and Debbie would give it right back- but she knew how much he loved her. Debbie always smiled, always asked how you were doing, told you she loved you and say see you tomorrow.

She is survived by her daughter Brittany Poole, her sister Monica Rhea (Cochran), sister-in-law Judi Cochran, her brother Steve Cochran. Debbie is also survived by her niece and nephews, Corey Rhea, Brandon Rhea, Amanda Cochran, Tyler Rhea and Austin Rhea along with her great nieces, Ellie Rhea and Lydia Rhea and her grandsons, Benjamin Marlowe and Sebastian Marlowe. Deborah is preceded in death by her parents, Mary (Vandevanter) and Larrie Cochran, her grandparents, Clarence and Mary Frances Cochran and Earl and Maria Vandevanter, her uncles James Vandevanter and Carol Cochran, her Aunt Barbara Cochran, her nephew Zachery Cochran, her brother-in-law Daryll Rhea, and all the family members that have touch her life that have passed before her.

A celebration of her life at a future time.  Deborah’s ashes will be laid to rest in Milford Cemetery in Milford, Michigan with her parents at a later date.