FALLON, Deborah Maureen, of Boston, Mass, formerly of Arlington, July 7, 2023, died at age 73 after a very long struggle with multiple sclerosis.  Sister of Jill of Sudbury, MA; Kevin of Arlington, MA; William and his wife Julieta of Argao, Cebu, in the Philippines; Colleen Menke and her husband Robin of Fox Island, WA; Robert and his wife Jennifer of Lincoln, MA; Julie Ann and her husband Kenneth of Tacoma, WA; and Aunt to nine nieces and nephews.   Funeral services will be private.  In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to The Boston Home in Dorchester, MA which cared for Debby so lovingly for many years.  https://www.thebostonhome.org

Arrangements by the Douglass Funeral Home in Lexington, MA. https://www.douglassfh.com

Eulogy for Deborah Maureen Fallon

April 7, 1950 – July 7, 2023

Her six siblings considered blond-haired, blue-eyed Deborah Maureen Fallon, the third child of seven, born to Ruth and Bill Fallon as the smartest one of us all.

She loved puzzles and brainteasers.  Every Christmas, she got several Chinese wooden puzzles -those complicated balls or squares to take apart and struggle put together again.  I would be amazed since it took her only minutes while it took me at least an hour.   She loved music and taught herself guitar so she could sing her favorite Judy Collins and James Taylor songs.  She worked in leather, making belts and purses.  She built a new vegetable garden at 36 Florence and claimed the secret was the manure she mixed into the soil on the advice of Governor Dukakis of whom she was inordinately fond.  For a summer or two, she worked as a taxi driver and learned enough about cars that she taught her brother Billy about general engine maintenance and how to change spark plugs on a VW bug. She loved to read, especially science fiction.  It was a point of pride that she was at the first showing of Star Wars on May 25, 1977.

Blessed with the gift of empathy, Deb was the first to work at Camp Allen, a summer camp in Bedford, NH, for kids and adults with developmental or physical disabilities where she developed strong bonds with the campers.  She returned year after year bringing along brother Rob who found the start of his career path and another year later with sister Julie

Debby was funny, always ready with a quip or joke.  She loved comic strips, especially Calvin and Hobbs. When asked by the Boston Globe what she thought was the most significant event of 1995, a year that saw the shutdown of the federal government and Newt Gingrich, the trial of O.J. Simpson, the mid-December fire when the Malden Mills textile mill burned to the ground and its CEO, Aaron Fuerstein, an Orthodox Jew became known as "The mensch who saved Christmas", Debby replied, "The worst thing I heard this year was the end of the comic strip Calvin & Hobbs and that the cartoonist decided to retire."

Often clumsy, we called her 'butterfingers' So smart, we thought she'd be a doctor, we were surprised she decided to go to nursing school.  We didn't learn until many years later that she had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.

She graduated from Fitchburg State with a degree in nursing in 1975, back when it was just a college and not a university.  She headed out to Washington state where her sisters Colly and Julie lived because she wanted to go to UW School of Medicine.  In Seattle, she worked at Group Health in the burn unit.  At the same time, she took classes as a non-matriculated student to meet the prerequisites for medical school.  She was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis at UW when she realized she lost feeling in the tips of fingers, an unspoken but essential requirement for any doctor. She would need care and support, so she decided to return home to 36 Florence Ave in 1978. And still she told none of us about her MS diagnosis.

She back to school and earned a master's degree in health policy and management from Harvard University's School of Public Health in 1983.  She was the only Fallon who went to Harvard. She had planned researched what hospitals offered the best disability insurance which is why she began working at Tufts Medical Center in Boston.

Never one to complain or feel sorry for herself, 10 years passed before she told us of her multiple sclerosis.  She didn't want us to worry she said.    By that time, she was having difficulty walking, so she got a cane and a new dog with a long, fluffy tail named Sam whom she loved with a passion.

She even returned to Washington state to see her sisters, nieces and nephews and Mt Rainier.  But she fell quite ill while there, having caught a virus, possibly from an insect bite, and had to return home, then straight to a hospital where she began seizing.  The virus had gone into her brain causing encephalitis and was in a coma for 17 hours.  and when she came to, she had lost her short-term memory, forgot that she smoked and when offered some chocolate chip ice cream, said, "Chocolate, what's chocolate?"

By that time, my parents had remodeled the house with an elevator that went directly from the garage and first floor to her bedroom to accommodate Debby in a wheelchair.   She adjusted to her loss of mobility with grace.  With her car adapted and a handicap sticker applied, she could drive to work at Tufts Medical in Chinatown easily.   A new electric scooter meant she could cruise around more easily and go for runs with her dog Sam.  Many a Saturday, she would drive me to Cambridge Rindge and Latin so we could swim in their huge pool.

When our Dad was 37, he left on a trip to California with Mom in 1961, leaving behind a handwritten will with a few words to each child.  Debby was almost eleven at the time. This is what he wrote to her:

Debby,

In many ways the most thoughtful and kindest of all, but exasperatingly thoughtless at other times, we've always loved you deeply Deb and we know you'll rely upon God to direct your life,

All my love,

Dad

And that she did. Her short-term memory never returned, and her multiple sclerosis worsened in a long, slow decline.  After our father's death in 1991, it became more difficult for our mother to care for her at home.  So, in 1992, Debby first entered The Boston Home, a nursing home for advanced progressive neurological disorders, primarily multiple sclerosis, and a national model, exemplary for its long-term care.

Resident for the last 31 years of her life, Debby thrived under the excellent and loving care of the staff at The Boston Home.  She called everyone either "handsome" or "beautiful" because she couldn't remember names.  She loved making people feel good.  She went to Red Sox games and museums, basked in the garden, delighted in singing and enjoyed the annual family picnics.   She beat the pants off everyone who played scrabble with her.  She even fell in love with Marc, a resident and they would spend hours together every day.  Until the very end, she would take pleasure in her classical music, visits from her family and chocolate ice cream.  We will be forever grateful to The Boston Home for all that they did for Debby.

Debby was also stubborn, sometimes exasperating, and, when in pain, could curse like a sailor.  But never did she say a bad word about anybody.  She was grateful for everything, even the smallest things and when she smiled or laughed, she would light up the room.

We were blessed with Debby.  She made us all more thankful and loving.   Now released from all her suffering, may she rest in blessed peace.