Debra Kay Woodbridge Welchert, 70, passed away on Thursday, April 23, at her home in Arco, Idaho.
She was born in Idaho Falls, Idaho, to Jack and Norma (Davis) Woodbridge on May 26, 1955. She had four sisters, Karen, Terry Lyn, Carla, Donna; and one brother, Lonnie.
Her childhood was spent in Arco, Idaho, on the Big Bend, with the Lost River running in her backyard. Her teen years were spent between Arco and Kemmerer, graduating from Kemmerer High School in 1973.
She welcomed her first son, Jeff, on Dec. 17, 1973. They lived in Kemmerer, where she worked in her mother’s café (Norma’s). In 1978, she married Howard Jones, and they moved to Garden City, Utah. She loved living by Bear Lake. They later divorced.
Debbie and Jeff moved to Idaho Falls, Idaho, where she found a job at a major truck stop. During Jeff’s teen years, they moved to Arco for a short time, eventually moving back to Idaho Falls, and going back to work at the truck stop.
During these years, she met Danny Rantz, and they welcomed their son, Chance, on May 23, 1995.
In 1998, she decided to get back to her roots and came home to Arco. She worked various jobs, with one being at the Craters of the Moon bookstore. She became very knowledgeable of everything about the Craters. She often talked about her favorite job being her time at Precision Billing learning medical billing.
Debbie met Dave Welchert in 2013. They married on July 9, 2016, with her best friend Geri K. officiating.
Deb was a free spirit, and always lived life her way.
She is survived by her husband, Dave Welchert, Arco, Idaho; her sons, Jeff (Tracy) Robbins, Burton, Idaho; and Chance Rantz, Minneapolis, Minnesota; her sisters, Karen Cook, Idaho Falls, Idaho; and Donna (Kyle) Kerstetter, Mead, Washington; her sister-in-law, Billee Woodbridge, Arco, Idaho; her stepchildren, Ray, Charles, John and Sophea; and numerous grandchildren, nieces and nephews.
She is preceded in death by her mother, Norma (Davis) McCracken; her father, Jack Woodbridge; her stepmother, Katrina Woodbridge; her sisters, Terry Lyn Woodbridge and Carla Holt Lee; and brother, Lonnie Woodbridge.
Per Debbie’s request, there will be no services. Cremation services were cared for by the Anderson Family Funeral Home.
