Deb S. Paul

Deborah Sue Paul (Deb), passed away quietly at her home on Mother’s Day, May 10, 2026.

Born in Bismarck, ND, Deborah Sue Lyon to Bill and Maxine Lyon, the family and her two siblings, Stephanie and Jim, subsequently moved to Pelican Rapids, MN. Deb was popular in high School, where she was a cheerleader and, in several organizations, often having meetings and get-togethers, as their home was directly across the street from the high school. After high school, she attended Moorhead State College, where she received her BA in education. She met her husband, David, in the summer of 1971 on an island on Vermillion Lake, north of MN, where she was caring for an elderly couple on the island. Unknown to her, there was no escape from the island, but to her avail, David was there with a boat. Her first date with David was a trip to Tower, MN, to collect cow pies for the strawberries. Things progressed from there; she went back to school at Moorhead, and David returned to Des Moines, IA. Deb married David in June 1973, after a long-distance romance, and both had graduated from college.

After graduation, she traveled to Iowa City with David, where, among 100 candidates, she received a teaching position at Kalona Elementary School for Special Education. She worked there for 5 years, then entered the Coralville School System, where she also taught Special Ed while she was working on her master’s in education from the University of Iowa. Her first and second born boys, Ryan and Michael, were born at Iowa Carver Hospital while David finished residency in Urology there. After finishing residency in 1983, Deb and David and the two boys moved to Brainerd and later to Baxter, where their 3rd child, Stephanie, was born. Deb was a devoted mother and able to recognize issues that the children were experiencing due to her career in education. After the children graduated from high school, Deb worked with home health care in Brainerd for 10 years, where she enjoyed tending to the care of the elderly. She lived to care for others and was planning on taking care of David, as we aged, but she was met with a variety of medical conditions that precluded that as she became more ill.

Deb is survived by her husband of 53 years, David, her three children; Ryan (Sara) Paul, Michael (Angie) Paul, and Stephanie (Jared) Gustafson, six grandchildren; Charlie, Elsie, Stanley, Graysen, Eli, and Emmiline, siblings; Jim Lyon and Stephanie Larson.

She is preceded in death by her parents, Bill and Maxine Lyon.

A memorial will be held for friends and family at a later date.

Arrangements are entrusted to Brenny Family Funeral Chapel, Baxter.