Deborah Desouza Obituary

Deborah Desouza died this Sunday, February 8. She passed away due to unexpected health complications. She was healthy and had no prior illness.

Deborah Desouza lived her life bravely. She was kidnapped as a young child from her home in New York City by her father and taken from her mother. She spent ten years in Texas until she reunited with her at 19.

She graduated from law school. She chose to devote herself to her sons- her family.

She was kind to everyone. She loved to laugh, she loved to cook for others, she always needed to be helpful to others. She gave even when she had nothing to give. We cherished the way she used to cackle when she laughed really hard, the way she couldn’t ever give up on something, even her down right stubbornness. We loved all of her.

The jokes she’d say just to cool the air when it was silent, she was the definition of what life represented. Warmth.

She was a daughter, a sister, a friend, and she was most proud of being a mother.

Her daughter Emily was professed by her to be the first person she ever truly loved. Her son Jacob was born disabled and taught her what it meant to have to truly care for someone with every fiber of her being. Her son Isaac was her baby 2000, and she loved him just the way he was. Her son Seth was the best to her and she was so proud of him for growing up so well.

She loved her dog Winny. Her late dog Sebastian was held dear by her every single day. She loved every single dog she had over the years. She loved her bulldog Yoshi, and she protected him from danger. She loved her chocolate lab Crystal and was with her in her final moments. She loved Luna, Sugar, and more. She loved her cats inside the house- Muffin and Drake- no matter how much they annoyed her. She loved the cats outside, we always told her not to feed. She was so kind she even rescued two stray rabbits- Lucas and Frederick. She loved all the hamsters and small pets we had over the years. They all are reunited with her on the rainbow bridge. Her mom was there waiting for her too, surrounded by all of them.

Toms River Obituaries – TomsRiver.org

She was a friend. An invaluable one who’d give the shirt off her back then feel guilty if you were still cold afterwards. She’d never regret a kind deed. She just regret she couldn’t do more and wonder if she wasn’t enough.

She spent her time watching her favorite stand up comedians. She loved watching her brother’s blog. She loved doing ceramics. She loved gardening and had a green thumb. She loved learning. She had nothing but hope for the future and how much better it was going to be. She always saw the bright side of things, not because it was easy but precisely because it was hard. She always was there.

She’d never want anyone reading this to feel sad. She’d want them to feel hopeful.

If she could do it all over again she’d do it a thousand times. The only regret she would have is not being able to say goodbye to her family.

In Memory of Debbie Desouza: Supporting Her Sons After Their Loss – TomsRiver.org

She will be missed. She will still be loved. She will still be there for her family. In every memory they hold dear, in every action they take.

A memorial gathering will be held on Saturday, February 21, 2026 from 12 – 2 pm at Kedz Funeral Home, 1123 Hooper Avenue, Toms River.

Deborah Desouza Obituary | Kedz Funeral Home | 1971 – 2026