Obituary of Deborah D. Tuite

Deborah was born on April 26th, 1950. She was born in Staten Island, N.Y. to Anna and Daniel Devine as the third of four children. Deborah was a graduate of Our Lady Queen of Peace grammar school and St. Joseph by the Sea High School. During her formative years she worked as a counselor in the foster care system at the Mount Loreto mission. Her love of kids and teaching led her to Hunter College to receive her teaching degree. Deborah worked as a teacher for 30 years at various schools on Staten Island, including St. Joseph by the Sea, the Academy of St. Dorothy, and Moore Catholic High School. She touched the lives of all the students she taught and would always say she did what she did because "she loved the kids". Deborah married Richard Tuite (d. 2015) in 1977 and is survived by her sons Sean and Daniel, her daughter-in-law Stephanie, and her beloved grandson Aiden. She is also survived by her nieces, nephews, cousins, and her cherished extended family and friends. In many ways, Deborah's great love, later in her life, was for the program of Alcoholics Anonymous. For almost 30yrs she would say "The Program" gave her a new lease on life. The Program brought her into contact with an extended family she never knew she had. Her impact on those she met was as palpable as it was with her students. She found herself invited to speak at meetings and events all over the country and even in other countries. She became a mentor, a guide, and a friend to many who will always cherish her. She will be greatly missed by her family, her friends, her "program", and all the lives she touched. We send her off with her own "famous words": "Keep your feet where they're planted and go to the The Power".