Deborah A. Poelma

Deborah A. Poelma (“Debbie”), a lifelong resident of Western New York and beloved wife, mother, grandmother, teacher & friend passed away peacefully on September 26, 2025 at age 75 in Miami, Florida from sepsis.

Debbie was born on August 8, 1950 in Albion, New York to Edward & Mary Breuilly. As a child, she was destined to become a teacher lining up her dolls as her class & “teaching” them. She graduated from high school at Albion Central School in 1968. She graduated from the State University of New York at Brockport in 1972 with a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education & in 1974 with a Master of Science Degree in Elementary Education. She loved children and spent 38 years teaching mostly first grade at Royalton Hartland Central School.

Debbie married her high school sweetheart Linwood (“Lin”) Poelma in 1971. Over their almost 54 years together, Debbie & Lin always put their family first. They had two children, Zachary (“Zach”) and Ashley who in their marriages blessed Lin & Debbie with 6 grandchildren. Given Debbie’s love of children & central focus on family, she loved doing things for her kids. She baked a homemade treat every Friday for Zach & Ashley to share with their teachers & classmates from preschool until 5th grade. After retiring as a teacher, she spent over a year as a “Granny Nanny” with each of Zach & Ashley’s first kids even though this took her away from home to Miami & Philadelphia. While serving as her grandson Gavin’s “Granny Nanny”, she even organized and hosted a weekly playgroup for Gavin’s friends that always included prepared activities & a homemade treat.

Debbie loved the ocean. Most vacations and school holidays were spent with family on the beach in Florida and South Carolina. In 2022, Lin & Debbie purchased a condo on the ocean in Jensen Beach, Florida which was a lifelong dream finally accomplished. Since that time, Lin & Debbie spent most of their time organizing & attending social activities in their condo community, visiting their kids and grandkids near Tampa & Miami and attending local theater performances.

Debbie was extremely thoughtful & caring to everyone in her life. She loved bringing loved ones together by hosting gatherings & organizing social events. Debbie always went out of her way to show her family & friends she cared about them in thoughtful ways. One of her hobbies was crocheting so she frequently sent baby blankets to loved ones who were having babies. She was a perfectionist with endless energy who planned everything way in advance. She loved the quote, “If it’s worth doing, do it right.” She spent hours planning, preparing & sometimes redoing tasks to make them as perfect as possible. At the time of her death, she had cards for every occasion prepared to mail out for the next six months.

She was predeceased by her parents Edward and Mary Brueilly. She is survived by her husband Linwood Poelma, son Zachary Poelma (Melanie), daughter Ashley Martin (Kevin), six grandchildren Landon Poelma, Adysen Poelma, Logan Poelma, Gavin Martin, Grant Martin &

Grayson Martin, sister Bonnie Blake (Richard), brother-in-law Larry Poelma (Linda), cousin Lois Donovan (Robert) and several nieces and nephews.

Calling hours will be held on Friday, October 24, 2025 from 3:00pm-7:00pm at Christopher Mitchell Funeral Homes, 21 West Avenue, Albion, NY, 14411. A Mass will be held on Saturday, October 25, 2025 at 9:00am at the Holy Family St. Joseph’s Parish Church, 106 S. Main Street, Albion, NY followed by a reception at the church’s Lyceum.

In lieu of flowers, those wishing to donate in Debbie’s memory, please consider Holy Family St. Joseph’s Church (https://www.onecatholic.org/our-churches-1) or ENCRTA (Erie Niagara County Retired Teachers Association) Scholarship Fund. Checks for ENCRTA Scholarship Fund can be mailed to: ENCRTA Scholarship Fund, C/O Ginny Piskorowski, 9650 Haight Road, Barker, NY, 14012.