Deborah Winkler

Debbie Sue Winkler-mother, wife-died early Tuesday morning, Oct. 16. She was 67.Born in Vincennes, IN on Aug. 22, 1951 to Louis and Clara Rubrecht, she was the second of four girls. Debbie graduated from Saint Rose Academy (Class of 1969) and married Daniel Winkler of Hammond, IN on Oct. 20, 1973. They moved to northwest Indiana shortly thereafter, and she worked as a dental assistant for a number of years. (Her perspicacity with teeth and dental health is well attested by her two sons.) Upon moving back to southwest Indiana, she gave birth to her first son, Kyle Martin Winkler, in 1983. Five years later, her second son, Alexander Daniel Winkler, was born. Debbie was a reader. She had small, funny handwriting. She drank black coffee. She liked to laugh and watch old movies. She disliked Bob Dylan's voice, but liked his songs. She kept cool, but cared. And while she had a bit of a mouth on her, it eased up in later years. More than anything, she loved her father, who died too young.She had a big city heart in a small rural town. She loved children and was good with them. She also worked in day care and health care-her last job was as a case worker for Wabash Valley Human Services in Knox County. She was a beloved aunt to many nieces and nephews and counted many of them as her closest friends.She was bigger than an obituary.Even after diagnosed with MS, Debbie continued to socialize both at the Harmony Society (where she was a member) and in repeat trips to favored places like Siesta Key and Sanibel Island, Florida. It was only in the last year, struggling with aggressive cancer, that she stopped traveling. It was a dream of hers to visit Tuscany, Italy.She leaves behind a husband, Daniel Felix Winkler of Vincennes; two sons, Kyle and Alex; a daughter-in-law, Katie Winkler; two living sisters, Kathy Cook and Lisa Jaeger, both of Florida, and one deceased sister, Karen Lippke of Colorado. Debbie had recently become a grandmother to Kit Felix Winkler, son of Kyle and Katie Winkler.And here, at the end, we want to say this: she was our mother, our secret sharer. We loved her. She is mortally missed.Services will be held at Goodwin's Funeral Home in Vincennes, with visitation on Saturday 9-11AM. Memorial service will follow visitation. Graveside service will be held for interment at Memorial Park Cemetery. "In lieu of flowers, the family asks you make a donation to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital."