Deborah Ann Piper

Deborah Ann “Debbie” Piper, was born December 7, 1940, in Portland, Oregon, to Josephine Harker Smith Piper and John Willis Piper. She died November 4, 2016, a month before her 76th birthday. She was one of only two persons with Down syndrome known to live past age 75. Debbie died at her group home in Aloha, Oregon, following five years on, then off, then back on hospice. She is survived by her brothers, D. Smith Piper (Mary), Michael J. “Mick” Piper (Susan) and Edgar J. “Ted” Piper (Penni), and sister, Kathleen K. Piper (Joyce Mills), all of Portland, as well as a niece, three nephews, great-niece and great-nephews, and cousins galore. She was an alumna of Fairview Training Center, the state institution where she was sent when she was 19 months old. In January 1984, at age 43, she left Fairview to begin a new life under the aegis of Edwards Center. She thrived in this community setting, sharing a house with a family of friends, working daily at Edwards Enterprises, and jumping into every social and sporting opportunity offered her. The family wishes to express their gratitude to those who looked after Debbie, especially in these final, difficult years: all the caring staff people at her group home and at her workplace; her housemates; and the nurses and aides from Washington County Hospice, Gentiva Hospice and Providence Hospice. Please join her Piper and Edwards families for a Celebration of Life at 1 p.m. Saturday, December 3, at the Edwards Community Center, 4375 Southwest Edwards Place, Beaverton, OR 97078. If you can, please wear a hat in solidarity with Debbie, whose penchant for hats was legendary. Remembrances to Edwards Center, PO Box 6269, Aloha OR 97007. Service Information