Debra Kay Johanns, 66, of Canton, Conn., passed away surrounded by her loving family on Sunday, July 28, after a long and courageous battle of ongoing health issues. She was born on Aug. 5, 1957, in Meridian, Miss., daughter of Alice (Brown) Cooper-Gatewood and the late William P. Cooper (Preston).
Debra grew up in Mississippi, California, New York and Connecticut. She was a long-time resident of Bristol, Conn., and in more recent years moved to Canton, Conn.
She was a loving Mother, Grammy and partner to Glen for 28 years. She cherished and loved her family dearly; including her grand pups Guinness, Cooper and Bella. She enjoyed motorcycle rides with Glen, going camping, swimming and spending time with family and friends! She had a big personality with a great sense of humor.
She was a member of the Elk’s Club and loved going to Wednesday night bingo. She loved to laugh and joke and had a smile that would light up a room! She had many friends whom she called family and loved to help people whenever she could.
Besides her mother, Alice, Debra is survived by her daughter Debra Swicklas and her husband Michael of Ellington; son Greg Johanns and his wife Lindsay of Burlington; Significant other Glen Forester of Bristol; grandchildren Andrew and Justin Swicklas, Micayla Johanns, Jaden Mansfield, Jace Ireland and Zion Jones; Sister Karen Lynn Ryzak (Lynn) of Canton; step-father RJ Gatewood of Collins, Miss.; step daughters Amanda Mansfield of New Britain, Kadie Ireland and her husband Mike of Bristol and several nieces and nephews whom she loved very much.
Besides her father, Debra is predeceased by her sister Judy Trunick.
The family will receive family and friends for Calling hours on Saturday, Aug. 3, at O’Brien Funeral Home, 24 Lincoln Ave. Bristol, Conn., from 10 a.m. to 12 noon. A funeral home service will begin at 12 noon.
In light of Deb’s love for children in lieu of flowers, donations can be made to either CT Children’s Medical Center, https://give.connecticutchildrens.org or St. Jude Children’s Hospital, https://www.stjude.org/.
To leave an online message of condolences, please visit Debra’s tribute page at www.OBrien-FuneralHome.com.
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