Deborah Kovac

Deborah (Debbie) J. Kovac, Mother of six and Wife of 42 years to John C. Kovac Jr., passed away peacefully on May 13th, 2026 in her home, taken by Cancer at the age of 68. She was known by her loved ones for being extremely hard-headed, fiercely proud of her children, passionate and soft hearted toward animals. She survived a terminal Cancer diagnosis with a 6 month life-expectancy by more than 2 years, which her children believe to be a testiment of her stubborn and loving nature. 

Debbie is survived by her children and their spouses: Amber & Vincent Mizelle, John & Mallorie Kovac, Katherine & Kyle Fensom, & Mason Kovac. As well as six Grandchildren: Zoey Mizelle, Cody Kovac, Mason Anderson, Morgan "Violet" Hilton, William "Damond" Hilton, Allen "Teddy" Hilton, & Ivy "Bee" Fensom. She joined her youngest son Adrill Lee Nelson, her Grandchild, Skyler Mizelle, & her Husband John in the afterlife. The song lyrics, "It's not what you take when you leave this world behind you - it's what you leave behind you when you go" couldn't be truer for Debbie. As well as leaving behind a legacy of children & grand children, Debbie instilled a legacy of hard work, sacrifice, and showing a willingness to face your fears and grow as a person in each of her children. Nicknamed, ' Hardway ' by co-workers due to the circumstances and methods under which she learned to drive semi trucks in her late-30's: Debbie overcame her fears of driving the large vehicles to support her family when John was severely injured on the job. As a child of an abusive and broken home, Debbie poured her heart into learning how to better herself as a mother through books, trial & error - and where there can never be perfection in parenting - it can be said with sincerity that Debbie deeply cared about her role as a Mother and tried to be better in every way than what she had received.

It is with an aching sadness that we mourn the loss of our Mother. Her sassy and sweet attitude, the way she chastised us if we ever were unkind, and the way she looked out for us up until her last breath - ignoring her own experiences to make ours better, kinder, & softer in her final days. These actions will always stand out as a deeply personal expression of her love for each of us. For others, she is just another name. For us, she is our Mom & Grandmother - our Family - and we hold the deepest wish in our hearts that there was peace in her final thoughts and love which craddled her to rest. We love you Mom. Always & Forever.