Deborah Christine Flint Daniel

Deborah Christine Flint Daniel

April 12, 1967 – Jan. 5, 2024

On Jan 5, 2024, Debbie made it Home and is Free after an amazing life well-lived and seven years of fighting Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD).  She lived with remarkable curiosity, creativity, and caring for 56 years.

Debbie usually filled the room with her joyful energy, intrepid spirit, imagination, and love.  Even when FTD stole so much, she managed to tell others “I love you.” That was her true unfiltered self.  Debbie had a playful way of softening even the hardest curmudgeon’s heart.  She would be the first to share her love was Christ’s love in and through her.  As a daughter, sister, wife, mother, friend, neighbor, and physician, she spread that love through her care, support, music, work, teaching, cooking, and crafting.  

Debbie was born in the hospital at Fort Ord at Monterrey Bay, California on April 12, 1967 to Jon and Sylvia Flint.  She looked up to her big brother Mark, whose name she remembered last among all others.  Debbie moved with her family in the U.S. Marine Corps to Rhode Island, Virginia, Ohio, and Arizona.  Music became a central part of her life.  Her family shared God’s love through music as the Flint Family Singers in churches across the country.  Debbie was in high school marching band, played flute and piano, and sang with a Christian singing group touring by bus across the USA in high school for two summers.  She graduated from KOFA High School in Yuma, Arizona in 1985.

After four amazing years of friendships and hard work, Debbie graduated with a B.S. in biology from Gordon College in Wenham, MA.  During college she spent a semester abroad studying in Benin, West Africa, which fueled her cross-cultural interests and improved her French.  She was also a cheerleader and RA in college.  

After graduation, she enjoyed a year working at the Center Of Science and Industry in Ohio making science interesting with hands-on experiments in schools around the state as part of a traveling team.

In 1994, she graduated with her M.D. from Wright State Medical School in Dayton.  During that time, she attended Urbana 90 and some of the same medical workshops Steve was at nearly four years before they met. She was actively involved in the Christian Medical Association student chapter and loved working as a medical student at Bongolo Hospital in Gabon, West Africa deep in the rainforest.  She met her best friend and future husband Steve, when she interviewed at The Medical Center in Beaver, PA for the family medicine residency.  Steve was a year ahead of her and there was an immediate connection.  Although most around them saw their chemistry, it took Debbie and Steve a few more years to figure that out.  Debbie served as chief resident during her final year of training.  

After residency and board-certification in family medicine, Debbie interviewed across the Alaskan Bush where she was attracted to the challenges, beauty and adventure.  She chose Nome, Alaska in 1997 and joined the medical staff at Norton Sound Health Corporation.  Debbie quickly became part of the community including Nome Covenant Church and the worship team.  She enjoyed traveling to villages and was a favorite among Health Aides.  She flew frequently on medevacs, passionately provided maternal child care, and delivered many babies. She became the first medical provider in the Norton Sound region to be trained and help form the Sexual Assault Response Team.  One of the cases she provided forensic evidence and testimony for formed citable case law at the Alaska Supreme Court.  

Steve came up for a visit in March 1998, and their close friendship quickly progressed to engagement when Debbie accepted Steve’s proposal in a hot air balloon at sunrise in May 1998 over the Arizona desert.  There were fireworks, figuratively and literally, when they married in Carlsbad, New Mexico (Steve’s hometown) on July 4, 1999.  The couple accepted jobs at the community hospital in Wickenburg Arizona, where they practiced full-spectrum family medicine and became actively involved in Community Alliance Church.  Eventually Debbie began work in primary care at Remuda Ranch, a Christ-centered multidisciplinary residential treatment program for eating disorders with equine therapy on a ranch setting.  During that time Steve and Debbie helped lead a group of medical and dental students to Bolivia to work with children living on the streets in Santa Cruz.  

In 2002, Debbie miraculously survived twin pregnancy complications in the ICU requiring two medevacs by helicopter to higher levels of care.  Their daughters, Bethany and Kristen, were born early, and God brought them through with healthy recoveries.  

In 2004, Debbie moved back to Nome, Alaska with her family, which became home for them.  

Debbie and Steve shared their medical position at NSHC so that one of them could always stay home with their young daughters, who were the joy of Debbie’s life.  Debbie enjoyed crafting, music, cooking, caring for her family and her patients, and many wonderful days on the tundra and beach.  

They moved to Arizona and Tennessee in 2008 but returned to Nome in 2010.  

Debbie, who was always involved in their children’s classrooms, began homeschooling their daughters from 6th through 10th grade, when Steve took over due to Debbie’s brain symptoms. Prior to her illness, she began work part time at Anvil Mountain Correctional Center where she genuinely enjoyed caring for patients and working with the staff.

When early-onset dementia was diagnosed, she retired from medicine with the early and distinct honor of being granted lifetime membership in the American Academy of Family Physicians.  

Over recent years, she enjoyed walking their dog Willow, crocheting, coloring, spending time at XYZ, visiting with precious friends, and visiting her family in Arizona.

In her last days, Debbie began hospice in a group home near her family in Arizona, where she was loved and cared for by her whole family.  On January 5, 2024, she peacefully closed her eyes, smiled and met Jesus.

Debbie will be remembered for her joy, creativity, love for beauty in nature, and kindness towards people. She always tried to show the love of Christ to each person and live her life to the glory of God. She sacrificially loved her family who will miss her beyond words.  They hold on to the certain hope she has been gloriously restored in the presence of God, and the best is yet to come. She is survived by her parents Jon and Sylvia Flint, her brother Mark and  his wife Lyndsee, in Yuma, Arizona; her husband Steve in Nome, Alaska; her daughters, Bethany and Kristen, who attend college in Massachusetts; and her nephews, Sidney and Ian in Arizona.

Debbie‘s family would like to give heartfelt thanks to the precious circle of friends and church family in Nome who have walked this journey with them, Dr. Roxi Richards and Dr. McKenzie Rapp at NSHC who provided compassionate and excellent care, the staff at AMCC, the  XYZ staff and friends who supported Debbie, the staff at Kindred Homes 2 in Yuma, AZ, , and  Hospice Of Yuma.  There was so much support and wonderful care by all.  

The family asks that people write something they fondly remember about Debbie to share with her family which can be sent to:  dcfdaniel@proton.me

The family requests that in lieu of flowers, contributions be made to the XYZ Senior  Center at Nome Community Center at https://www.nomecc.org/  or Hospice Of Yuma at:  https://hospiceofyuma.com

A memorial service will be planned for the summer.

 

The Nome Nugget

PO Box 610
Nome, Alaska 99762
USA

Phone: (907) 443-5235
Fax: (907) 443-5112

www.nomenugget.net

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