Deborah Mills Scalf, 69, of Port Neches, Texas, entered eternal rest on Saturday, March 23, 2024.
Deborah was born on January 7, 1955, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to Barbara Wilson Mills and Jack Edward Mills. She served St. Elizabeth Catholic Church in Pt. Neches as Director of Religious Education for 22 years, sparking a love and curiosity of the Faith for thousands of students and their families. Debbie retired from St. Elizabeth’s in 2016, and spent her glorious retirement as the world’s best Nana, as well as being an avid reader, brilliant crossword puzzler and an amazing master gardener. It’s said that she could plant a rock and it would grow into something beautiful.
She loved cats, giving loving homes to felines found in driveways to Lowe’s parking lots. At one point, she was the guardian of 7 which nearly gained her the label of “Crazy Cat Lady”. Lately she enjoyed volunteering her time at Friends of Ferals, an organization dedicated to helping feral and stray cats. She was a “hippie” at heart who loved walking around barefoot, especially in her lovely backyard garden. She was a true homebody and really enjoyed her afternoon naps. Friends and family would tell you she was “the smartest woman in Port Neches”. Debbie would test her knowledge against anyone whether it would be the TV show Jeopardy or any trivia game. She was uncontested but always humble. Most importantly, she always put others before self, had the patience of a saint and always had a comforting word to share. Two of her favorite phrases were “And this too shall pass” and “There, there now”.
Survivors include her husband of 44 years, Dempsey Scalf of Port Neches; her mother, Barbara Mills of Port Neches; her children, Aaron Scalf and wife Stacey of Bremerton, Washington; Jillian Scalf Frost and husband Adam of Port Neches; grandchildren, Tristan Scalf, Ashton Whitmer, Zander Frost, Sophia Scalf and Vivian Scalf; great grandchildren; Granger Scalf, Riggen Scalf, Sterling Whitmer and Ares Whitmer; her sister, Lisa Mills Pilkington and husband Kevin of Houston; as well as numerous nieces, nephews, cousins and friends who she loved dearly and they loved her.
Deborah is preceded in death by her father, Jack Mills; sister, Stephanie Mills Cowart; son, Zachary Scalf; and grandson, Noah Frost.
A visitation will take place from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Monday, April 1, 2024, at Melancon-Levingston Funeral Home in Nederland with a Rosary to be recited at 5:00 p.m. Monday at the funeral home. A Mass of Christian Burial will be conducted at 10:00 a.m. Tuesday, April 2, 2024, at St. Elizabeth Catholic Church in Port Neches with burial to follow at Oak Bluff Memorial Park in Port Neches.
Serving as Pallbearers will be Adam Braswell, David Gonzalez, Anthony Fasono, David Green, Richie Landry, Matt Champagne and Alex Thibodeaux.
In lieu of flowers, Memorial Contributions can be made to Friends of Ferrals at https://friendsofferalstx.org/donate/ in memory of Deborah Mills Scalf.