Obituary: Deborah Somers, a Generous Volunteer and Nature Enthusiast, 65

Deborah Somers, a Wakefield resident, loving wife and dedicated mother of four died on July 25th, 11 months after she was diagnosed with cancer. She was 65.

A warm personality who lit up a room with her presence, her daughter said Mrs. Somers was known by her friends as a giving, generous person. 

“Right when you met her, you were her friend right away,” said her daughter Jennifer Moon of Wakefield.

Mrs. Somers was born on July 5, 1945 and attended Chapel Hill High School before preceding to the Western College for Women in Ohio, which is now Miami College of Ohio.

Mrs. Somers worked for Century 21 in Wakefield as a realtor, and spent her free time pursuing several different types of hobbies.

Spending time with family and friends was a very important activity throughout her life and she loved entertaining and cooking, said her daughter. She worked extensively with various charities and participated in outreach with the in Wakefield, volunteering in soup kitchens and helping with food donations.

In addition to her outreach work, Mrs. Somers spent lots of time outside, as she loved nature and all kinds of animals. She dedicated much time to camping and gardening and cared for several animals over her life.

Her secret passion, however, was meteorology.

“She loved storms and I think she secretly wanted to be a storm chaser," said Moon.

Moon said her mother kept loads of meteorological equipment scattered around the house and “was always hoping for a direct hit.”

She was the daughter of Priscilla A. (Plumb) Gibson of Waltham and the late Stewart K. Gibson, II. Mrs. Somers was the wife of Paul C. Somers and  the mother of Jennifer S. Moon and her husband Gregory of Wakefield, Matthew G. Somers of Brookline, Elizabeth S. Curran and her husband Jack of Wakefield and Jeffrey G. Somers of Jamaica Plain.

She was also survived by her sister Cindy Sargent and her husband Rodney of Maine, and Stewart K. Gibson III of Waltham. She was the grandmother of Sydney and Adeline Moon and Samantha Curran.

Her funeral service was held at the First Parish Congregational Church in Wakefield. A visitation for relatives and friends was held at the McDonald Funeral Home. She was interned at the Lakeside Cemetery in Wakefield.