Obituary of Deborah VanDerKar

Deborah “Debbie” Lynne VanDerKar, 67, a resident of John St, in Greenwich, passed away at her home, under the care of her husband and hospice, on Thursday, June 1, 2023.

She was born June 19, 1955, in Glens Falls, New York, to the late Donald Buell and Phyllis (Stevens) Wilbur. 

Deb was a 1973 graduate of Greenwich Central School.  She then attended Adirondack Community College achieving her LPN degree.  She worked as a nurse at Ormond beach General Hospital and St. Augustine General in Florida.  Following her time in Florida she moved back home to Greenwich and worked for Mary McClellan Hospital in Cambridge.  She went back to school at Maria College, achieving her Registered Nurse degree and went on to work for Saratoga Hospital. 

Deb married the love of her life Kenneth VanDerKar on September 1, 1979, and together they had one son, Seth.  Later in life Deb was also a foster mother and absolutely loved doing it, helping children was her passion. She was a devoted wife and mother, who always gave 100 percent, all the time.  We love her and will always keep her close to us. 

In her free time, she enjoyed camping and swimming, her and her husband would load up the truck and tent camp all over, she truly enjoyed being in nature.  She loved to help her husband decorate the house inside and out, for the holiday seasons.  Deb was an avid reader and had a way with words, she excelled as a writer and could put more into one sentence than an entire paragraph.

She is survived by her loving husband Kenneth VanDerKar of Greenwich; beloved son, Seth VanDerKar and adopted son, Ethan Wood; as well as extended family and friends. 

A celebration of Deborah’s life will be held at 6 pm on Wednesday, June 7, 2023, at Centenary United Methodist Church, 1 Gray Avenue, Greenwich, NY, 12834.

Donations in her memory may be made to the Saratoga Hospital Foundation at www.saratogahospital.org.

Online condolences and messages to the family may be made at www.flynnbrosinc.com.