NEW DURHAM ---- It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved wife, mother, and grandmother, Deborah Jean “Debbie” (Libby) Sanville,” on Sunday, October 11, 2026, affectionately known as “Spunky.
Debbie was born on September 9, 1952, at the former Larson Air Force Base in Moses Lake, Washington. As the daughter of a U.S. Air Force sergeant, she traveled widely as a young child, including to Europe while her father was stationed at Neuburg Air Base in Bavaria, Germany. The family later moved to the former Pease Air Force Base in Newington. After her father’s death in 1964, they lived in several communities in Maine and Tennessee before putting down roots in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire.
After graduating from Laconia High School, Debbie began training as a laboratory technician through the nursing school at Lakes Region General Hospital. When the school closed, she attended Belknap College in Center Harbor. After that college also closed, Debbie worked for several years as a dispatcher for Richardson’s Taxi Service and as a salesclerk for Trailways Bus in Laconia. She later served as an assistant chef at Woodland Heights before becoming head chef for the Lakes Region Head Start and Early Education Program at Community Action of Belknap County.
One of Deb’s greatest joys was serving as a Sunday school teacher and superintendent. She loved being with children and took particular pleasure in leading a chorus of young voices—and sometimes adult ones—in Bible songs and verses before sending everyone to their classrooms.
Her love of children led Debbie to become a foster parent and to help establish the first Helpline Home in the Lakes Region through the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services. She opened her home to dozens of children, whether they were in foster care or facing some other crisis. Debbie later extended that service by training other foster parents for DHHS. Her dedication was featured in a special Mother’s Day article about foster parenting in May 1988.
When her adopted children became interested in sports, Debbie began coaching girls’ softball and continued for several years. She claimed she did it for the girls, but she often seemed to have even more fun than they did. Later, when the children entered high school, Debbie became a “drama mom,” helping performers with their hair, makeup, costumes, and Twizzlers.
When the family relocated to New Durham, Debbie became a paraprofessional with the Alton School District and later moved to Prospect Mountain High School in Alton. She enjoyed working in special education until illness forced her to retire.
Debbie took tremendous pride in earning first her associates degree and then, in December 2016, her bachelor’s degree in behavioral sciences from Granite State College graduating magna cum laude.
Debbie had a gentle demeanor and often laughed at herself. She had a lively sense of humor and delighted in playing jokes on others, especially on April Fools’ Day, when she planned carefully whom she would trick first. She was always quick to tease those around her, particularly her husband. Debbie also had a deep affection for the underdog, which helped inspire her later love of football and the New England Patriots.
Debbie held strong opinions, especially about politics and religion, and remained steadfast in the faith she embraced after being born again in her early twenties and leaving the party life behind. Whether she was in a store or on a beloved camping trip, she made friends quickly. She openly shared her love of the Lord Jesus because she wanted others to experience the same joy her faith brought her.
Debbie loved her animals: the Shorkies Tobias and, later, Pickles; her duck, Squeaker; and her cats, Kismet and Angel. She also made sure the bird feeders were always full and watched from the windows, counting the different species that came to visit.
One of the highlights of Debbie’s life came when Dennis’s brother Tom gave her a railroad spike he had pulled from tracks running through Moses Lake, Washington. He found it while taking a cross-country scenic trip with his wife, Evelyn, and his mother, Florence.
Debbie seldom said that a lasting relationship requires giving more than taking, but she lived that belief every day through her willingness to put others first. She and her husband, Dennis, celebrated their fiftieth wedding anniversary last July. She took tremendous pride in her children and grandchildren and tried to attend many of their games, no matter the sport or the pain and illness she was experiencing. When she could not be there, she deeply regretted missing those moments.
Debbie is survived by her husband, Dennis; her daughters, Candice Sanville and Catherine Rutherford; Catherine’s husband, Brandon; and their three sons, Ewan, Hayden, and Greyson. She is also survived by her sisters, Brenda Chamberlin and her husband, Herman, and Karen Taylor and her husband, Frank, brother-in-law Gerald Austin and sister-in-law Beverly Jenness and her husband Steve, as well as nephews, nieces, cousins, and other extended family members whose lives she touched so deeply.
She was predeceased by her parents, Donald and Leah (Smith) Libby; her granddaughter, Isabella Rutherford; her mother-in-law, Florence Sanville; her brothers-in-law, William Austin, Thomas Sanville, Wilfred Sanville, and Robert Sanville; her sister-in-law, Rita Austin; and many beloved grandparents, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, and cousins.
She faced many illnesses during the last 13 years of her life, but she never gave up. She remained a determined fighter until the end.
We extend our deepest gratitude to the dedicated doctors, specialists, nurses, and support staff at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center; the Jack Byrne Center for Palliative and Hospice Care in Lebanon; Huggins Hospital in Wolfeboro; Wolfeboro Bay Rehabilitation Center; and Alton Family Medicine for the treatment, assistance, and compassionate support they provided.
At Debbie’s request, there will be no funeral.
A graveside service will be held at Union Cemetery, 176 Academy Street, Laconia, on Monday, October 19, 2026 at 2 PM. The public is welcome to attend.
In lieu of flowers please donate to a charity of your choice.
Wilkinson-Beane-Simoneau-Paquette Funeral Home & Cremation Services / 603Cremations.com, 164 Pleasant St., Laconia, NH, 03246, is assisting the family with arrangements. For more information and to view an online memorial, please visit wilkinsonbeane.com.