A kind smile. An excited look of recognition. A vinyl record collection set aside from an estate sale for me to look through. These were things I’d find when I walked into Yesterday’s News, courtesy of the owner, Debbie Myers, who died on Feb. 20.
Myers used to work with my father, Steve Faramelli, at Trine University where he is a graphic designer and she was a writer. Without Myers, I wouldn’t be enrolled at Albion College – or even know it exists.
My Memories of Myers; Her Generosity
In 2021, when I was a junior in high school, former assistant volleyball coach Keelin Severtson stopped into Yesterday’s News and had a chat with Myers, who told Severtson that her friend’s daughter was a volleyball player. Severtson found my recruitment video and emailed me to set up a tour, and the rest is history.
I’m often touched by the kindness Myers extended in that moment. When Severtson told her what her profession was, Myers could’ve merely smiled, nodded and moved on, but instead she thought of my family. That kindness is something I cherish most about her.
The first time I remember meeting Myers, I was in middle school and my family visited her property to pick up some old general store wood to use as hardwood floors in our home. Myers was quite the collector – as evidenced by her antique store – but more than that, she was a giver.
According to her obituary, Myers “supported many community entities” including Friends of Albion’s Animals and the Albion American Legion. She loved helping people and animals and “donated dishes, clothing, food and more to the unhoused population.” When I think of what it means to be a good person, an image of Myers instantly pops into my head.
Some of my fondest memories of Myers are from my first two years at Albion. I always dropped off our Pleiad print editions at her store, often stopping to talk with her for an hour or more. She always had a smile on her face and a joke to tell, and her sarcasm is something my dad said he remembers most about her.
‘A Great Friend’; My Dad Reflects on Myers
Much of what I know about Myers is because of my dad, so I asked him about the friend he lost. My dad and Myers collaborated daily in Trine University’s marketing department for three years. My dad said Myers gave herself the unofficial title “director of communications,” often jokingly adding it to their email threads.
He added that he was recently going through some of their old emails and reminiscing about how funny Myers was, as well as a particular grammar opinion of hers.
“She hated exclamation points,” Steve Faramelli said. “Especially multiple exclamation points.”
He also said Myers “didn’t take things seriously” and “always approached life with humor.”
“She was probably the most sarcastic person I’ve met,” Steve Faramelli said. “Her humor was extremely deadpan.”
While at Trine, Myers, my dad and others occasionally traveled to yard sales during their lunch breaks, my dad said. After Myers left the university, she and my dad stayed up-to-date on one another’s lives through Facebook where she often commented on his posts.
“She was a genuine, caring person,” Steve Faramelli said. “She was a great friend – she’d do anything she could for you.”
Express Thanks While You Can
Part of me still can’t believe Myers is gone, and I have the impossible hope that I can still walk downtown and see her smiling face behind the counter of Yesterday’s News. I wish I’d been able to say goodbye.
I regret not thanking Myers for connecting me with Albion when I had the chance. Because of her, I have made lifelong friendships, found a family within the Pleiad, walked around the Whitehouse Nature Center and fallen in love with Albion’s downtown.
I try not to live with many regrets, and I know Myers wouldn’t want me to. Ultimately, her passing reminds me just how finite life is. We never know when our loved ones will live their last days, so it’s important we cherish them while they’re here.
In Tim McGraw’s song “Live Like You Were Dying,” he urges listeners to live as though they know their time is coming to an end soon. Myers lived out those same sentiments. My dad said “she fought through health issues for many, many years but never gave up.”
“She didn’t let it stop her from doing the things she wanted to do,” Steve Faramelli said.
So despite our aching souls over the loss of Myers, I hope we all take a page from her life’s incredible book: May we all donate as selflessly as she did, laugh as easily, never give up and always be good friends to those around us.
There will be a celebration of life for Myers on May 9 from noon to 4 p.m. at the Lake Diane Community Center.
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